CENTRAL VALLEY — Marlboro knew its offense would come around, and of that they were certain. Although it took a while.

It wasn't until the sixth inning, but did they ever come alive.

The Iron Dukes sent 10 to the plate, erupting for all their runs as they went on to beat Pearl River, 5-2, Tuesday in a Class A softball subregional at Monroe-Woodbury High School.

“I feel like we have great offensive production,” said Marlboro coach Andrea Schoonmaker, whose team reached the Class B state final last season. “I wasn’t too worried. I knew they would come through in the end. The whole game they were trying to find their pitch. I think the girls knew they’d eventually break out.”

Pearl River ace Kiera Luckie held the Dukes to two hits and was protecting a 1-0 lead heading to the bottom of the sixth. But in that pivotal frame, Marlboro totaled six hits.

Madison Gibney, Kalista Birkenstock and Taylor Castellani each singled to load the bases, then catcher Emma Jackson lined a triple to center that put the Section 9 champs ahead.

“It was definitely exciting to get that hit,” Jackson said. “I knew this was the moment it had to happen. We had only one inning left. I was like, 'I’m going to do it. I’m gonna kill the ball.'”

Teammate Leah Gunsett followed with an RBI single and Lily Sullivan later drove in their fifth run.

“It took a huge weight off of my shoulders,” said Gunsett, the pitcher. “When it’s a close game like it was, you want to be perfect and not let anyone get on base. But I also know my team always backs me up. When (Pearl River) scored, I wasn’t worried.”

The Pirates got on the board in the top of the sixth. Luckie drew a one-out, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout, then eventually scored on an error.

“Marlboro is a good team, top to bottom,” Pirates coach Chris Woolgar said. “I couldn’t be any more proud of my team. I give a lot of credit to the Marlboro offense. They came through when they needed to.”

Cat Arnold's RBI single pulled the Pirates within three in the seventh inning before Marlboro closed the door.

More: Softball: Pearl River wins Section 1 Class A title for first time since 2016

What it means

Marlboro will face Section 4's Maine-Endwell, the defending state champions, in the regional final on Saturday at Monroe-Woodbury High School. Pearl River concludes its season at 16-6.

Player of the game

Emma Jackson, Marlboro: She went 2 for 3, including a three-run triple that accounted for the deciding runs. The catcher also helped pitcher Leah Gunsett through a complete game.

By the numbers

Pearl River (16-6): Cat Arnold went 1 for 4 with an RBI. Taylor Donnelly and Heather Collins each went 1 for 3. Kiera Luckie allowed eight hits, no walks, five runs and struck out six.

Marlboro (19-3): Leah Gunsett was 2 for 3 with an RBI. She also allowed three hits and three walks, no earned runs and struck out seven in a complete game. Lily Sullivan was 1 for 3 with an RBI.

Quoteables

“We did a pretty good job of getting base runners, but to their credit, we couldn’t get any runners across early. If we were able to score two or three early, I think the momentum would've been different. To Marlboro’s credit, they bent but didn’t break,” - Pirates coach Chris Woolgar on having chances in the game but couldn’t score.

Twitter: @LoHud_Debbie; @LoHudSoftball

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Softball: Jackson, Gunsett lead Marlboro to Class A regional final