The College of San Mateo softball team’s season hasn’t gone the way coach Nicole Borg expected it to, but the important thing is the Bulldogs are still very much in the running for a playoff berth.

CSM earned a crucial win on Thursday, 5-2 over visiting Gavilan. The Bulldogs improved to 7-4 in the Coast Conference North Division, 20-17 overall. They moved into a second-place tie with Chabot in the division standings, and only the top two teams earn an automatic bid into the postseason.

Things could be decided on the final day of the regular season April 21, as the two teams will play against each other in Hayward on Chabot’s home field. The Gladiators beat CSM in the teams’ previous meeting, 6-2. Thursday, the Bulldogs put together one of their best overall performances of the season. They received a complete game from starter Lauren Cole, produced some clutch hits and offset a couple of errors by making some big plays defensively.

“We played up to our potential today,” Borg said. “The season hasn’t gone the way I thought it would. The inconsistency of it wasn’t expected. I definitely think we have a better overall team than last year, but getting that offensive spark has been tough this season. Timely hitting has been lacking.”

It wasn’t against Gavilan (7-2 Coast South, 11-19). For a while it looked like Thursday’s contest would come down to a pitcher’s duel because hitters from both teams were having a hard time with the home plate umpire’s liberal strike zone. But CSM’s lineup started to heat up in the fourth inning. Nicole Cardoza singled with two out and came home on Ashley Zmerzlikar’s inside-the-park home run.

Zmerzlikar, the Bulldogs’ No. 9 hitter, lined a shot down the right-field line. The ball got by Gavilan’s Zoa Lopez and bounced all the way to the fence. The speedy Zmerzlikar was already rounding third when Lopez’s throw missed the cutoff person, allowing Zmerzlikar to score standing up.

“To be able to pull the ball hard down the line was a huge play because anytime one of our left-handed hitters can get on base they’re dangerous because they can all move (fast),” Borg said.

The Bulldogs weren’t done in the inning, however. The very next batter, Gina Bologna, reached on an infield single. Anna Dea walked and Ashley Peterson smacked an RBI single to make it 3-0. CSM added a couple of insurance runs in the sixth, the first coming on Bologna’s run-scoring infield single. Bologna then stole second easily. A couple of pitches later she stole third, and scored on the play when the throw went to left field.

Gavilan scored all of its runs in the seventh. The Rams put together a mini rally but the game ended when Bulldogs catcher Tatianna Grelli gunned down Danielle Scibuola trying to steal second — the third time in as many chances Grelli had caught a runner stealing in the game.

Cole did the rest, scattering six hits with six strikeouts. With the exception of the seventh inning, Cole received some solid defense behind her, as outfielders Bologna and Jackie Ferrari made nice running grabs in the second and fifth innings, respectively.

“Everything was working well for Lauren,” Borg said. “She moved the ball in and out, and was effective in getting outs when she needed them. (With six games left in the season) we’re in a ‘must win or hope somebody loses’ situation, and you don’t ever want to put destiny in someone else’s hands. But the girls seem to play well under pressure. The team has played better when they’re behind all year.”

Borg, however, is looking for her team to take the lead first and make it stand up, and she’s hoping Thursday’s win is a step in the right direction.