STANDISH — Amy Ashley walked out to the pitching circle to bring her Yarmouth High softball team together. The Clippers, leading by one in the top of the seventh of the Western Class B championship game, had just committed an error to put the tying run on second base with one out. She was afraid they were nervous.

What she discovered was that they were anything but.

It’s time to celebrate for Yarmouth, which shut out Fryeburg 1-0 Tuesday for the Western Class B softball title. The Clippers will play Hermon Saturday for the state title. John Ewing/Staff Photographer

“They gave me the most confidence just by looking at them,” said Ashley. “They were engaged, they really believed. When I went back to the dugout my sister (assistant coach Janet Tinker) asked, ‘How are they?’ I said, ‘We got this.’ ”

And they did.

Junior pitcher Mari Cooper struck out the next two batters and fourth-seeded Yarmouth held on to beat No.7 Fryeburg Academy 1-0 at Bailey Field at St. Joseph’s College Tuesday night for the Western Class B championship – the school’s first softball title.

“It just feels so good being the first,” said junior third baseman Cat Thompson, who drove in the only run with a first-inning single. “It’s kind of like making history on a smaller scale. It’s just so amazing. I’m just so proud of my team for doing something not many people thought we could.”

Yarmouth (16-3) will play defending state champ Hermon (17-2) in the Class B state championship game at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Joseph’s College.

“I can’t even believe that we just made Yarmouth history,” said Cooper, who allowed four hits, didn’t walk anyone and struck out seven. “I’m so excited about this team.”

Fryeburg, which played in five consecutive regional finals from 2008-2012, finished 13-7. “I’m as disappointed as I should be as head coach,” said Fred Apt. “But I’m proud of my team. We battled. And that’s the way it’s been all year.”

This was Cooper’s third shutout of the tournament. Against the Raiders, she showed the ability to reach back and make the big pitch when needed.

And she had to because Fryeburg’s sophomore Nicole Bennett matched her nearly pitch for pitch.

Andrea St. Pierre led off the bottom of the first with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Kallie Hutchinson. Cooper then moved her to third with a groundout. Bennett got ahead of Thompson 1-2, then threw a change-up.

Thompson lunged, but got the bat out in time to loop the ball into short center field, scoring St. Pierre.

“I’ve struggled with change-ups all year to be honest,” said Thompson. “I definitely lunged but I just got it enough so that it blooped over the infield and I knew that was all we needed in that situation, just to bring her in.

“I just tried to put it in play because that’s when things happen.”

From there, both teams played well defensively and both pitchers controlled the tempo.

Then came the seventh. Makayla Cooper led off with a single for Fryeburg. Mari Cooper fielded a grounder by Lexi L’Heureux and got Makayla Cooper at second. Amanda Gillette hit another grounder, but the throw to second was dropped, putting runners on first and second with one out. That’s when Ashley came to the mound.

Mari Cooper was ready, determined not to let the season end on another last-inning rally. A year ago Cape Elizabeth scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh to eliminate the Clippers in the semifinals.

“The Cape game last year, you can’t help but have that on your mind,” said Mari Cooper. “But this year’s defense, I had 100 percent confidence in who was behind me and that really, really helped me because I knew I could just pitch my heart out.”

Two strikeouts later, she was being hugged by Hutchinson and mobbed by her teammates.

“These girls have exceeded expectations,” said Ashley, who also celebrated a birthday Tuesday. “We thought early on we could be great. And it took us a whole season to believe in it.”

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