SANFORD — The offense came around in the middle innings and the pitching held strong as Nate Stepna and Andruw Gazzola drove in a pair of runs and the Sanford Mainers (21-18) clinched their eighth straight playoff berth with a 7-3 win over the Valley Blue Sox (18-21) Wednesday night at Goodall Park.

Sanford had to play catch up from the second batter on as Valley’s Cornell Nixon scored from first on a failed pickoff attempt and two throwing errors to give the Blue Sox a 1-0 lead. The bats for the Mainers finally broke through in the fifth with a pair of two-out clutch hits, including a two-run double from Stepna scoring Gazzola and Hunter Wood, who set the inning with a one-out walk and single, respectively, making it 2-1. Sam Dexter followed with an RBI single extending the lead.

Still up 3-1 in the sixth, Brendan Shea came in relief of Ben Greenberg and worked around a lead-off double and walk before striking out his next three batters, keeping the game 3-1 before Dan Hetzel’s RBI double and an error gave the Mainers a 5-1 lead.

Valley scored a pair of runs in the seventh, making it 5-3, the closest the visitors got before Gazzola’s two-run shot in the eighth broke open the game to the final score of 7-3. In the ninth, the Blue Sox loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate but Cam Hatch closed the game out to earn his sixth save of the season.

With the win, the Mainers clinched at least third place in the Northern Division, winning the head-to-head series with both Valley and North Adams, who are battling for the fourth and final spot in the division. The Mainers are currently in second place in the Northern Division.

Sanford hosts the Northern Division-leading Vermont Mountaineers tonight in the regular season finale at Goodall Park. Left-hander Blake Morgan (3-1, 2.38 ERA) will get the start for the Mainers.