CAPE ELIZABETH — It wasn’t enough that junior ace Steph Greaton had a back injury and couldn’t pitch the first time Gray-New Gloucester confronted Cape Elizabeth this spring. The Patriots might as well have picked their lineup out of a hat that April afternoon.

“That was most definitely our worst game of the entire year,” Greaton said. “I think that we only had three people who stayed in their actual positions from when we played the first time to today.”

All the pieces fit now.

Sophomore catcher Zoe Adams drove in two early runs with a home run and a double Saturday, then had the best seat in the house as Greaton scattered five hits and steered No. 6 Gray-New Gloucester to a 2-1 triumph over No. 2 Cape in a Western Class B softball semifinal at Capano Field.

Winners of seven straight games, Gray-New Gloucester (14-5) will face Greely in the regional title game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on the campus of Saint Joseph’s College in Standish. The Rangers dethroned five-time defending regional champion Fryeburg on Saturday, also by a 2-1 tally.

Greaton struck out five and issued two walks, one of which was intentional. She pitched around three Gray-New Gloucester errors and stranded nine Cape Elizabeth runners on base, including two each in the second, fourth and seventh frames.

“I feel that we’re a great defensive team in any situation. We had many innings where we had girls on the bases and we got that third out,” Gray-New Gloucester coach Amanda Harmon said. “It doesn’t really razz us up as much as maybe it should or as it comes off, because we know we have strong defensive play and every girl is backing up the other.”

Cape (16-2) went scoreless until the sixth inning, when Elise Flathers doubled and scored on a two-out single by Hannah Saturley. Greaton escaped by luring a ground ball off the bat of Shannon Nicholson to Kaelyn Woods at first base.

Another groundout to Woods and a strikeout of Mary Perkins gave Greaton the upper hand in the seventh. Gray-New Gloucester then intentionally walked Western Maine Conference player of the year Ashley Tinsman to pitch to Emma O’Rourke, who floated a single to center and kept the rally alive.

Greaton got two quick strikes on Tess Haller and coaxed a fly out to right field to touch off the Patriots’ celebration.

“I think it was just mixing up my pitches and throwing to different corners,” Greaton said of her success. “(Adams) did an amazing job not letting one ball go by her.”

Cape was held to fewer than five runs for only the third time all season.

“We just couldn’t put it together today is all. We chased a lot of high stuff. We couldn’t lay off the high stuff,” Cape coach Joe Henrikson said. “Our No. 2 batter that last inning swung at ball four. If she draws a walk there, it could have been a different game.”

Retired quickly by Cape starter Katie Rabasca in the first inning, Gray-New Gloucester wasted no time jumping on top in the second.

Adams ripped Rabasca’s first offering over the fence in left field.

“That was a bomb,” Greaton said.

Sam Wilkins’ double and Woods’ sacrifice bunt set up Adams’ RBI double in the third.

Anna Goldstein replaced Rabasca in the fourth, holding Gray-New Gloucester to one hit before Rabasca returned to pitch the final inning.

“Especially for Steph, I think the last few games we’ve played we’ve had to come back, so getting on top quickly helps,” Harmon said. “However, it’s never enough, and that’s how we play. We never let that be a cushion for us. We kept wanting more.”

Fooled by two comebackers earlier in the second inning, Greaton grabbed Nicholson’s low roller and threw to Woods for the third out to keep the Capers off the board.

Shortstop Alex Thompson gloved a Nicholson line drive to freeze a runner at third base in the fourth.

“We kind of had a cushion, so it wasn’t all tied up and extremely stressful,” Greaton said.

Greaton, Maria Valente and Emily Hotham contributed to the Patriots’ total of six hits.

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