Cape Coral strung together five base hits in a fourth-inning rally that carried them to a 4-0 victory Tuesday night over Virginia in the semifinals of the Little League Senior Softball Southeast Regional Tournament at Fleishman Park.

The winning rally was the only one in the game and helped advance the Cape All-Stars to the championship game at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Cape will face North Carolina, which disposed of Florida 13-0 in the other semifinal, for the title.

Cape managed one hit in each of the first two innings, but no runner advanced to second base until the fourth inning.

“The girls started to pick up on the pitches,” said Cape manager John Manetta. “They started to figure out what was coming and learned from it.”

Meghan Sullivan started the game-winning rally dropping a leadoff single in front of the left fielder. Deniece Bent ripped a double down the left field line to put Cape’s first two runners in scoring position.

Maddy Peres, who pitched four innings of a combined two-hitter with Sullivan, knocked in the first run with a single, giving Cape back-to-back-to-back base hits. Bent was forced out at third base on Alyssa Langdale’s fielder’s choice bouncer to the pitcher.

With two out, Emily Bush lined a single inside the third base line to drive in two runs. Mallory Gerrero finished off the rally with an RBI single to center.

“We got a couple of hits and a little rally and it was enough,” said Manetta. “Some key hits is all you need sometimes.”

Peres struck out five of the first eight Virginia batters she faced, allowing one baserunner in each of the first two innings. Sullivan pitched the next three innings, allowing one hit and hitting one batter. Peres returned for the final two innings, allowing one unearned run without a hit.

Cape centerfielder Katie Grubb turned in the defensive play of the game to end the third inning. Grubb turned a routine fly ball out into a double play when she threw out a potential run at home plate.

“That out at home was a momentum shifter I believe,” said Manetta. “It lit a little fire under us after that.”

Cape had gone 20 innings in the Southeast Regional without committing an error, but made two against Virginia. One of those errors led to Virginia’s only run in the sixth inning.

“I think we just lost focus a little,” said Manetta.

Cape improves to 4-0 in the regional and already handed North Carolina (3-1) a 5-1 defeat in Pool B play on the first day.

The Southeast Regional champion advances to the Senior Softball World Series that starts Saturday in Delaware.

In the Junior Softball Southeast Regional division Tuesday night, Florida edged Georgia 1-0 and Tennessee topped West Virginia 4-2. Florida and West Virginia play for the championship at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fleishman Park. The winner advances to the Junior Softball World Series in Kirkland, Wash., Aug. 13.

Virginia 000 001 0 – 1 2 0

Cape Coral 000 400 x – 4 8 2

W – Sullivan. L – Hensley.

2B – Bent (CC).