LACONIA — Laconia High's Skyla Farquharson and Jenna Marchione each hit inside-the-park homers. The Sachems added an insurance run in the sixth to open a four-run lead and move three outs away from the quarterfinals.

But it rarely comes easy in the playoffs.

Curran Hubbard induced a ground out to kill Souhegan's last-gasp rally, and the Sachems advanced to the Class I softball quarters with a 5-3 win Wednesday at Memorial Park.

The Sabers pushed a pair of runs across in the top of the seventh and had the tieing run at the plate when Hubbard got No. 3 hitter Ashley Tighe to chop out to Marchione at second. No. 5 Laconia will be at No. 4 Coe-Brown Saturday at 4 p.m., after the Bears' 8-7 survival over No. 13 Milford Monday.

Laconia was in its own survival mode against the 12th-seeded Sabers, who wiggled out of defensive jams and were in it throughout.

"The No. 1 thing I told the kids is that every game is going to be a battle," Laconia coach Darci Blake said. "I think that we were prepared to battle. We knew they weren't going to give up."

Marchione hit a line-drive toward the line in deep left that quickly skipped by the left fielder and rolled to the fence for a two-run homer that put the Sachems up 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth. Farquharson, who broke a scoreless tie with her solo shot to left in the second, gave her team a four-run cushion when she doubled and scored from second on an error in the sixth. She never hesitated while rounding third, scoring when the put-out attempt on Marchione's soft bunt was dropped at first base.

"I saw that the girl didn't really have a grip on it, and coach was saying 'Round it! Round it!'" Farquharson said. "And she still didn't have it, so I just went."

Laconia pitcher Curran Hubbard fires a pitch in Wednesday's NHIAA tournament game against Souhegan at Memorial Park. The fifth-seeded Sachems held off No. 12 Souhegan, 5-3. (Alan MacRae/for the Citizen)

The heads-up play gave Laconia a 5-1 lead entering the seventh, but the Sabers were stubborn. Alisha Faye shot a pinch-hit single to left to open the inning, and after Hubbard bounced back with a punch out, Faye scored on No. 9 hitter Taylor Chick's single to left. A run-scoring squeeze bunt back to Hubbard made it 5-3. There were two outs when Hubbard and the Sachems got the game-ending groundout.

"I think in the last inning we were willing to give up a couple runs to get the outs," Blake said. "There was no panic. That's why it's important to play all six (innings) before and get as much as you can."

Laconia (14-3) was up 2-0 early after scoring single runs in the second and third innings. There wasn't a ball hit harder than Farquharson's bomb to left that soared over the retreating left fielder's head and skipped to the fence. Farquharson rounded the bases and scored standing with the game's first run.

"I actually didn't realize how far it went until I tripped over second and (coach Blake) was still waving me home," she said.

LHS built the two-run lead in the third, when Kayla Carignan drew a lead-off walk, moved to third on Caitlyn Zelonis' bullet double down the third-base line and scored on Megan Bird's sac fly to left, which featured a tumbling grab by Souhegan's Emily Gravel.

The Sabers pulled within 2-1 in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of Hubbard's wild spell. She issued a lead-off walk and threw a pair of wild pitches that eventually allowed Tighe to score from third on Gravel's single to center. Souhegan had the tieing run at third with two outs, but Laconia escaped further damage when Kayla Carignan made a long stretch and catch at first off a ground ball to Zelonis at shortstop.

"I think when you have composure on the field it rubs off," Blake said.

The pesky 12 seeds never lost theirs, even after a questionable runner-interference call took a run off the board in the top of the fifth. There were runners on second and third with one out when Holly Bourassa slapped a grounder to Zelonis, who bobbled the ball as Bree Gunter passed behind her while advancing to third. The second-base umpire made the ruling, putting Chick, who had scored, back on third, Bourassa safe at first and erasing Gunter with the inning's second out. Hubbard zipped a fastball over the outside quarter for a called third strike to retire the side against the next hitter she faced.

The Sabers will likely be back in the playoff mix next year. They finished 8-9 overall without a single senior.

"My girls are fighters," Souhegan coach Andrea Crocker said. "They fought, you know? All year long they've been fighters. They never ever give up and they have a lot of fun. I told them they have a lot to be proud about, and they absolutely do."

Hubbard went the distance for the win on the mound. She allowed an earned run on six hits and four walks while fanning 11.

Souhegan ace Angela Mukai came on in relief of starter Shelby French, who went the first five innings. It was Mukai's first game back from an ankle injury in the Sabers' second-to-last game of the regular season.

Farquharson, a sophomore, had a monster day at the plate, finishing 2 for 3 with a homer, double, RBI and two runs. Marchione was 2 for 2 with a homer, two RBI and two stolen bases. Shayla Hubbard (0 for 2, walk) scored a run in the fourth. The Sachems fanned just once as a team and went error-free defensively.

Gunter led Souhegan offensively, going 2 for 3 with a double, single and walk.

SACHEMS, 5-3

SOUHEGAN (8-9) 000 100 2 — 3 6 3

LACONIA (14-3) 011 201 x — 5 5 0

BATTERIES: S-French, Mukai (6) and Chick; L-Hubbard and Bird. WP-Hubbard. LP-French.

LOB: S-5, L-7.