BURLINGTON — Ahead of her team’s softball game with North Attleboro on Sunday, Burlington coach Kristen Farrell had a feeling it was going to come down be a one-run decision.

Farrell’s feeling proved to be right on the money. Her Red Devils seized the one chance they got against Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year Kelly Colleran.

Burlington took advantage of the only two walks Colleran issued to plate a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. Red Devils ace Cece Imbimbo did the rest as she struck out 13 to lead her team to the Div. 2 semifinals with a 2-1 win at Marvin Field. The Red Devils (19-4) move on to face top-seeded Westfield in the semifinals.

“You just knew it was going to come down to a run with how the pitching was and it wasn’t going to be easy to push them across,” Farrell said.

After striking out 11 times and being held to one hit through five by Colleran, it looked like the Red Devils were in trouble. But when Imbimbo walked to begin the bottom of the sixth, the door was opened for a comeback.

Megan Ryan sacrificed Imbimbo to second and a wild pitch put her 60 feet from tying the game. Maddie King then worked a walk as the Red Devils plate patience began to pay off. Left fielder Shea McDonald was able to get a fly ball just deep enough to left that allowed Imbimbo to score just ahead of Colleran’s tag at the plate.

King took third on the play and that proved to be pivotal as Colleran (12 K, 2 BB, 1H) uncorked a wild pitch with Katie Hayes up that allowed King to scamper home with the go-ahead run.

“We kept telling the kids not to go at her pace at the plate. And that helped us to be patient and see more pitches,” Farrell said.

Suddenly staked to a 2-1 lead, Imbimbo went to the circle in the seventh trying to seal a win. Her 11th and 12th strikeouts sandwiched a Mary Ellen Charette infield single.

A hit batter kept the Red Rocketeers alive and had the tying run on second base. But Imbimbo regrouped and fanned Grace Simmons swinging to end the game.

“Cece is one of those type of players that doesn’t come around very often,” Farrell said. “Nothing seems to bother her. And she just wants the ball. You could see at the end that there was no way she was going to lose. She was just determined to strike her out at the end.”

North Attleboro’s lone run came in the fourth when Colleran led off with a single, was bunted to second and scored on a Charette infield single.