SANFORD — After striking out three times against Sanford High pitcher Jen Jones, Noble’s Morgan Perillo had one thought when she got a chance to bat with two outs in the top of the seventh.

“I was like, ‘I’m not letting her strike me out this time,'” Perillo said.

Not only did she avoid another strikeout, she blasted a two-run homer over the right-center field fence for the deciding runs in sixth-seeded Noble’s 6-4 win in a Western Class A quarterfinal at Witham Street Field.

Junior pitcher Shaughnessey Gower worked around a one-out single and an outfield error in the bottom of the seventh to finish off the victory. Gower allowed 11 hits but stranded nine runners and received strong defensive support.

Kayla Lessard at second made several good running catches. Right fielder Emma Burns charged a would-be single by Marli Wilson and threw Wilson out at first, negating a run that would have given Sanford a 5-4 lead in the fourth inning.

“I couldn’t ask for a better team,” Gower said. “They’re always behind me, always getting the ball for me, and they’re just wonderful.”

Noble (12-6) will take a nine-game winning streak into a regional semifinal Saturday at No. 2 Thornton Academy (15-2), which beat Falmouth, 8-6.

The Knights’ last loss was a 3-1 setback against third-seeded Sanford (14-3) on May 15.

This time, Noble generated eight hits against Jones (12 strikeouts, three walks). Singles by Melodie Bailey and Tyler Chastney (bunt) each drove in a run in the third inning. Mackenzie Aleva, a freshman, doubled off the fence to drive home a run in the fourth, and Lessard added an RBI single.

Sanford quickly responded both times, getting two runs in the bottom of third and two in the fourth to make it 4-4.

Wilson (2 for 4) grounded a two-run single up the middle in the third. In the fourth, Nicole Main drove a double to the gap in left-center to score Isabelle Johnston (3 for 4) and Lauren Thompson, who both singled.

In the seventh, Jones retired the first two Noble batters. Chastney followed with a pop into shallow right toward the foul line. Second baseman Thompson got to the ball but was unable to secure the catch.

“That’s not an easy play,” Sanford Coach Mike Bailey said. “She worked hard to get there. The ball is going away with a lot of spin on it. That’s really a difficult play. She tried her hardest to get to that and we respect her for that.”

Then Perillo cashed in.

“Oh for three with three Ks and then she got the one that counted,” Noble Coach Rick Melanson said.

“She didn’t hang her head. She hung in there and now she’s the hero.”