Her team’s victory in the third round of the 5-6 year-olds Dixie Youth Softball playoffs could not have come for a better time, especially for Selma Hardware head coach Brenda Phillips.

After losing a one-run game to Interlink Drugs midway through the regular season, Phillips saw her team break out to an 11-3 win over their regular-season nemesis to earn a berth in the league championship Saturday.

The win also gave Selma Hardware a distinct advantage if the two should meet in the title game on Saturday. Interlink, which was sent to the losers’ bracket of the double-elimination tournament, would head to the championship against Selma Hardware with a win Friday in the losers’ bracket final.

“If we play them again Saturday,” Phillips said, “we’ll beat them. I’ve got a good group and we want the championship trophy.”

Selma Hardware scored in every inning, but really came out swinging in the third and fourth innings. Already leading 2-0, Selma Hardware started hitting the ball harder in the third inning, busting out for five runs to extend its lead to 7-0.

With one out, Kierra Stokes and Alexius McDonald singled. Stokes scored when Morgan Lanier looped a single over the Interlink third baseman’s head to make it 3-0. Chamekid Moore followed with a single past the second baseman and into left field to plate McDonald and Lanier, making it a 5-0 game.

Tyaisha Watkins then singled, sending Moore to third. Moore scored on a throwing error to make it 6-0. Kionah Page followed with an infield grounder that brought in Watkins for the fifth run of the frame.

“The girls were ready to play,” Phillips said. “We started out slow and (Interlink Drugs) gave us a hard time. They’re a good team. But we scored in every inning. That’s the most important thing.”

Interlink Drug didn’t dent the scoreboard until the fifth inning. Laydreona Moorer started the frame with a single and went to third on an infield groundout by Grace Allen. Taria Johnson followed with a run-scoring single that plated Moorer. Savannah McLain then singled, sending McLain to third base. McLain made it to second when an attempt to tag McLain going to third failed. Ashley Orton followed with a single that scored Johnson and McLain to make it 7-3.

But Selma Hardware sealed the win with a three-spot in the bottom of the fourth. The inning was highlighted by run-scoring singles from Stokes, Lanier and Moore.

Selma Hardware got on the board in the first inning when Lanier singled and eventually came home on an infield grounder by Watkins.

The margin went to 2-0 in the second on a one-out single by Charta Hatcher, who scored on a fielding error.