REEDSPORT — Reedsport’s softball team has had a flare for the dramatic this year, often pulling out dramatic wins.

The Braves didn’t change that trend Thursday, scoring in the bottom of the seventh to beat visiting Cascade Christian 2-1 in the Sunset Conference playoffs.

“We’re good at that kind of thing,” Reedsport’s Kelsey Moore said of the late-inning drama.

The win gave the Braves the league’s No. 2 seed for the Class 3A state playoffs. Reedsport will open the postseason at either Riverside or Elgin on Tuesday. Those teams play today, with Reedsport visiting the loser.

“I’m dying of curiosity to know who we’re going to play,” said Reedsport coach Casey Howard.

Cascade Christian, too, opens the playoffs on the road, at Rainier on Tuesday.

Because neither team gets a home game, one of the big prizes of Tuesday’s game was momentum.

“It’s a good game to prepare us for (the playoffs) because it was real close and it put us under a lot of pressure,” said Reedsport’s Brianna Ekelund, one of the heroes of Thursday’s win.

The Braves faced plenty of pressure Thursday, with the game tied 1-1 for most of the final five innings.

Cascade Christian had a runner reach second base in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. In the seventh, the Challengers made an even bigger threat.

Brittany Biondi had a lead-off single and moved to second on a bad pick-off attempt.

Brandi Johnson then hit a high fly to left field, but Reedsport’s Hannah Smith chased it down and caught it.

Nikki Jones then was hit by a pitch.

But the Braves came up with two big outs.

Amanda Kinney grounded to third base and then Bree Luzny grounded to second.

“We did what we had to do,” said Reedsport third baseman Lindsay Holden, who earlier robbed Biondi of at least a double by snaring a line drive. “We played defensively well.”

With the lead protected, the Braves came up with a big offensive burst in the bottom of the seventh for the win.

Shelby Wiggans led off the inning by reaching base on a Cascade Christian error. Jessica Parker then followed by faking a bunt and pulling the bat back and slapping the ball back up the middle and off the leg of Cascade Christian pitcher Leah Weakley for an infield single.

With two on and no out, Holden put a perfect bunt down the first-base line and the Challengers tried for the out at third, but the throw was late.

That left the bases loaded and no outs and Ekelund, one of Reedsport’s top hitters, at the plate.

After one strike and two balls, Ekelund lined a single to right field to bring in the winning run.

“The hit was awesome,” Ekelund said. “I’ve been hitting to right field and I told Shelby that’s where I was going to hit it.”

Ekelund figured that even if she popped the ball up into the outfield, Wiggans would be able to tag up and score on an out.

With the line drive, the Braves easily could have scored two runs if needed.

It was a great finish for the team.

“When Shelby started it off, I knew we had it,” Holden said. “We just started a rally and got it going.”

Much earlier in the game, Ekelund scored Reedsport’s other run.

In the first inning, she had a one-out single and Stephanie Clardy walked. Ekelund ran to third base on a pitch that Biondi, Cascade Christian’s catcher, dropped. When Biondi’s throw to third was off target, Ekelund was able to score easily.

“As soon as I saw the ball get by, I got up and ran,” Ekelund said.

Cascade Christian answered in the top of the second.

Amanda Kinney led off with a short pop-up that came down between home plate and third base and bounced into foul territory. Reedsport’s players thought it was a foul ball, but the umpire ruled it fair, saying it had hit a Reedsport player, and Kinney ran to second during the confusion.

Bree Luzny then singled to right field to score Kinney with the tying run.

After that, Reedsport pitcher Tailor Nunn repeatedly got out of innings, either with the help of her defense or timely strikeouts. She caught Stephanie Smith looking to end the second inning and Kinney the same way to end the fifth. Smith struck out swinging with two on to end the sixth.

“Tailor threw the ball really well,” Howard said. “She threw the ball way harder than the last time we saw them.”

Nunn finished with four strikeouts and allowed six hits.

When Nunn didn’t strike out Cascade Christian’s hitters, the defense backed her up with play after play.

“We have a really good infield and a really good outfield,” Moore said.

The Braves got back at Cascade Christian, the league’s fourth-place team, for a loss to the Challengers in Medford late in the season.

“It was a bit of redemption for what we did down there,” Holden said.

Next up is redemption in the playoffs after a disappointing effort in the postseason last year against Dayton.

“We’re going to go a lot farther than we did last year,” Ekelund said. “We’ve grown a lot. I think we’re a really strong team.”

Notes:The Braves had seven hits Thursday. Chelsea Hitchcock, Hannah Smith and Nunn all had singles in the fourth inning, but Reedsport was unable to score any runs. Ekelund was the only player on either team with two hits.