On Friday, Alfred-Almond executed its small-ball game to perfection and in the process beat Panama, 4-0, in the Class D Far West Regional at Jamestown High School’s Martin Road Athletic Complex.

“Their small-ball game was phenomenal. They executed and caught us off-guard a couple of times,” Panama coach Tammy Hosier said. “You had to have the perfect play.”

The win sends the Eagles, Section V’s champion, to their first New York State Public High School Athletic Association Final Four in program history next Saturday at Moreau Recreational Park in South Glens Falls.

“Since March we’ve been focusing on getting past where we did last year and making it to states,” Alfred-Almond pitcher Aly Fancher said. “We’ve been really focusing on it since the beginning of the year.”

“It’s just good to see the program trending in the right direction,” Eagles head coach John Gemmell added. “We’ve been building step by step by step. Two years ago we lost in the sectional finals, last year we won the sectional final and lost in the crossover game. This year we’ve knocked two other things off our list.”

For the Panthers, it caps a 13-3 season during which they captured their seventh Section VI championship and first since 2010.

“These girls have made history at Panama, in Chautauqua County and possibly in New York state,” Hosier said, noting success in volleyball, basketball and softball. ” … Some people don’t ever go to a state championship. Unfortunately our sights were on one more and that didn’t happen.”

Alfred-Almond scored its first two runs Friday during the top of the fourth inning, capitalizing on three Panama miscues, two of which came on bunts.

Cleanup hitter Olivia Ormsby singled to center field to lead off the frame and went to third when Amy Evingham bunted and reached on an error. Following Evingham’s steal of second and a strikeout, the Panthers made another error on a bunt leading to the Eagles’ first run.

“We’re really good with situational stuff, putting the bunt down and running, moving runners … trying to put pressure on the defense to make a mistake,” Gemmell said. “That happened a few times today and got us a few runs.”

Alfred-Almond then bunted foul on a third strike for the second out, but Evingham raced home on a passed ball before Panama got out of the inning with a putout on another bunt.

The Eagles tacked on a third run in the top of the fifth inning as Lindsey Allen led off with an infield single, stole second, went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a safety squeeze bunt.

Allen and Logan Brown opened the top of the seventh with back-to-back singles before Allen was caught stealing on an attempted double steal. Brown eventually went to third on a wild pitch and raced home when the Panthers threw down to first base for the second out on a dropped third strike.

“Nos. 1 through 9 we’re confident the girls can put the bat on the ball and make something happen,” Gemmell said. “We have the ability at certain spots in our lineup to put the bunt down, run and try to beat it out.”

As it turned out, the final runs weren’t even needed. Fancher was that good.

The left-hander carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, allowing just four base runners on a pair of infield errors, a walk and Maci Johnson’s leadoff single to right field in the last inning. She struck out 11.

“She’s never had one. This would’ve been a good spot to have one,” Gemmell said of the near no-hitter. “The coaches knew it, but we didn’t want to say anything. None of us said anything to each other until the hit happened. I don’t think she knew it.”

“She did a great job. She hit her spots,” Hosier said of Fancher. “She pitched a great game. … She definitely took us out of our game.”

Ashlyn Harvey was nearly as good for Panama, allowing six hits and walking two while also striking out 11.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this team. They don’t give up. They’ve come together and they are a true team,” Hosier said. “Even in the sixth and seventh inning when you started to see the writing on the wall … they did a great job of keeping each other up.”

But the Panthers’ offense couldn’t break through. In the fourth, their leadoff batter reached on an error but was erased one batter later on a caught stealing. In the fifth, Panama put a runner on first with no outs, but was unable to move her any farther. Again in the sixth, Marra Hovey walked with two outs, but a strikeout ended the inning.

And in the seventh, Johnson singled on a two-strike poke to right field and went to second on a ground out, but Fancher struck out the final batter looking to send the Eagles to their first state semifinal.

“We knew they were capable of this,” Gemmell said. “Coming into this season, we had a good core coming back. … Our goal was to get to Glens Falls. They are there now and we’ll see what happens.”

NOTES: Alfred-Almond will play Section VII champion Crown Point at 9 a.m. on Field B next Saturday. The other semifinal will feature Section IV champion Deposit against Section III champion La Fargeville on Field C. The championship will take place at 1:30 p.m. that afternoon on Field A.