Thornton Academy pinch runner Madison Tracy collides with Windham catcher Chloe Wilcox at home plate during the third inning of a Class A South softball quarterfinal in Saco on Friday. Tracy scored on the play, the Golden Trojans scored pushed across five runs in the inning and defeated the Eagles 8-2. (ANTHONY LOMBARDI/JOURNAL TRIBUNE)

SACO – When Windham opened the door, Thornton Academy didn’t need an invitation to walk through.

The Golden Trojans took advantage of four errors and used a five-run third inning to win a Class A South softball quarterfinal 8-2 over the Eagles on Friday at Thornton Academy.

“We’re a very dangerous team,” said Thornton junior Olivia Paradis. “You can throw someone in off the bench and they’re going to do their job. Everyone is having so much fun. It’s a great team to be on.”

Thornton (16-1) advances to play Noble (15-2) in a semifinal matchup in Saco on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Golden Trojans beat the Knights 13-5 in Berwick on May 8. A lot has happened since the two programs met a month ago. Thornton enters winners of eight of its last 10 games. Noble has posted an 8-1 record since losing to the Trojans. All three combined losses came courtesy of Scarborough.

Friday, Thornton fell behind by two runs in the third on back-to-back solo homers off of the bats of Chloe Wilcox and Erin Elder. Thornton Academy starter Olivia Howe struggled with her location out of the gate, walking four Windham batters over the first two innings. She escaped the early traffic with strikeouts on the first five recorded outs, but Chloe Wilcox and Elder didn’t miss their chances.

Windham coach Fred Wilcox reminded his players all game to “hit to contact” – a strategy they focused on in preparation for Howe’s noted tenacity in the circle – and the plan paid off with an early lead.

“Instead of trying to get the big swing, the big hit, make contact and put it in play,” Fred Wilcox said.

After Elder’s blast landed over the fence to give Windham a 2-0 advantage, Howe threw the new softball into her mitt in disgust. She struck out the next batter, Callie Fielding, on three pitches.

Despite falling behind, said Paradis, the Trojans kept a sense of urgent confidence inside the dugout.

“We knew that we were going to score runs,” Paradis said. “We just knew we had to do it then.”

Howe led off the bottom of the third at the plate by being hit by a pitch by Windham starter Whitney Wilson. Abby Miner followed with a bloop single to left and Hannah Collins reached on an error by Elder in center field to load the bases. One batter later, Madison Vachon singled on a ground ball up the middle that cleared the bases on an error on by catcher Chloe Wilcox. RBIs from Sarah Casey and Kylie Lavallee capped off the five-run inning.

“A couple blunders – you can’t do that against (Thornton),” Fred Wilcox said. “They are going to come back and make it hurt. They did … Against teams like this, you have to play almost perfect softball.”

Thornton coach John Provost told the Trojans after the final out – Howe’s 10th strikeout of the afternoon – that the key to the game was the way they immediately answered the Eagles’ two-spot.

“It was important,” Provost said. “We got down … and then bounced right back with five, which was huge in this game. That was the turning point.”

Wilson took the loss for Windham, going 5 ⅓ innings and allowing eight runs, five earned, on 11 hits. Wilson struck out six and walked five.

Howe earned the win, pitching a complete game and allowing just four hits apart from the two solo home runs.

Miner had a game-high three hits. Paradis, Jenica Botting and Paradis each had two hits. Paradis and Vachon both finished with a game-high two RBIs.

Thornton doesn’t get much time to celebrate: A date with an ace who is looking to avenge her worst outing of the season is on deck against Noble. Raegan Kelly allowed 11 runs, nine earned, in defeat to Thornton on May 8. No team besides the Golden Trojans has scored more than five runs on the Knights all season.

Provost knows that a trip to the regional final won’t come easy.

“Raegan is a great pitcher. It’ll be another tough game.”