In a decisive final inning, the Wareham Girls Varsity Softball team beat Bourne 6-5, earning a state playoff berth.

The team had nine wins and 10 losses entering Wednesday’s game. To qualify for the playoffs, the team needed a .500 record. Reaching the playoffs meant facing off against one of the team’s biggest rivals, Bourne.

With a core of what Coach Janine Goulet called “a hungry group of sophomores,” Wareham bounced back from Bourne’s three-run lead after the second inning.

The score was tied up, 5-5, at the top of the seventh and final inning. Bourne failed to score, setting up Wareham for some late game heroics.

The three outs didn't come easy for pitcher Neely Eddleston, but they did come quickly.

Wareham players then loaded the bases following their at bats. With two outs, senior Mikayla Pinkston stepped up to plate and provided a walk-off hit for the win.

Goulet said she was proud of the girls, saying they’d, “earned every single minute.” She recalled the team’s inability to win more than one game last year, and how the team didn't win any games the year prior.

“This is just so incredible that we’ve been able to recover this way as a team,” said Goulet. “This was a battle, but they let it all out on the field.”

The tournament match-ups will be announced by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association on Tuesday, May 31.