The Coe-Brown softball team trusted its bats from beginning to end to outscore Merrimack Valley in the Division II semifinals on Wednesday. An eight-run first inning and a seven-run sixth saw the Bears run away and move on to the state finals.

The No. 1 Bears outpaced a gritty fifth-seeded Merrimack Valley team at Plymouth State University, 18-9, and will look to capture their second state title in three years after losing in the championship last year.

Senior centerfielder Haile Comeau, junior shortstop Kylie Bieniek and junior first baseman Addison Coffin all had multi-hit, multi-RBI performances that powered the Bears (14-2) to victory. Former Pitcher of the Year and 2025 All-State first-teamer Bieniek had three hits and five RBIs to lead the team.

“Definitely a supportive team, keeping it up and not giving up because they had a big lead up and they were getting close to us, but we kept it amped up,” Bieniek explained as to how her team kept on scoring.

The Bears next face No. 2 Kingswood, whom they outscored, 16-4, in an April 30 win in Northwood.

CBNA coach Dave Allis said he was proud of how his team has played despite facing multiple injuries to his starters. Senior Bella Pelletier stepped up to pitch in the semifinal, something she had not done in years, and held strong to get her team the win.

“I feel like the support from my team makes me feel so much less stressed and more confident on the mound, to be able to throw those pitches for strikes,” Pelletier said.

Allis added that staying focused through adversity, as the team did against in the semifinal, will be key to bringing in the winning runs in the state championship. Comeau added that building confidence in each other and trusting the wealth of knowledge the team has accrued over the past few post-season runs is vital to win it all.

After going up 8-0, it seemed as if the Bears could comfortably coast to victory. The Pride (11-5) had different plans. In the third inning, pitcher Caydence Allberg drove in two runs with a double and drew MV closer.

The Bears kept on hitting and stayed out of reach by the end of the third, going up 11-2. In the fifth and sixth innings, MV’s comeback began. Senior shortstop Kayla Smith, junior catcher Katelyn Herrmann and freshman outfielder Molly Hahn cleaned the bases up and drove in runs to make the game 11-9.

Kevin O’Brien, the former athletic director for the Pride and a long-time coach, said that this run exceeded all of his expectations. As a 40-year expert, his voice trembled with pride. “Overachieved,” O’Brien said. “It almost has negative content, but at the end of the day, it’s a beautiful thing.

“We play the game for seven innings. We said from day one, ‘Ladies, game’s played for seven innings, up or down, seven innings.’ So I think you develop that,” he added.

MV had won both of its previous playoff games by a margin of one run, but the Bears’ offense was just too much on Wednesday. Despite falling by a large margin, the final score did not tell the full story of MV’s mental toughness to keep the game close.

The team built a strong identity and mental fortitude throughout the season which, in O’Brien’s view, extends far past the diamond.

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com.