HAYWARD — The College of San Mateo softball team’s situation on Tuesday was pretty self-explanatory.

Win and they were automatically in the playoffs, lose and they would have to rely on a probable at-large berth. The Bulldogs didn’t leave anything to chance, as they played one of their best games of the season in a 9-6 Coast Conference North Division win over host Chabot.

With the victory, CSM (12-5 Coast Conference, 25-18 overall) locked up second place in the North Division ahead of the Gladiators (11-6, 18-25), who entered the contest with the same league record as the Bulldogs. Had CSM lost, it still probably would’ve made the postseason as an at-large entry because of its strong R.P.I. rating of No. 13, one of the main formulas used in determining the seedings. However, Bulldogs coach Nicole Borg chose to tell her players before Tuesday’s game that if they lost, their season was over.

No pressure there.

“I put all the pressure on them,” Borg said. “I told them it was a must-win game or the season was over. The best part is the sophomores looked at it that it could be their last time wearing a CSM uniform, and you could tell this game meant a lot to them.”

Did it ever. In fact, the Bulldogs received contributions up and down the lineup. In addition, it seemed like a different player was making a standout defensive play every inning. CSM brought the aluminum early, jumping on Chabot for two runs in the top of the first inning. Gina Bologna set the tone with a leadoff triple before scoring on a Ashley Peterson double.

Lauren Cole followed with a ground-rule double to make it 2-0. The Gladiators scored once in the bottom half to cut their deficit in half, only to see the Bulldogs answer with a three-run third. CSM, which finished with a whopping 16 hits, used the longball to take a 5-1 lead. Peterson hit a two-run home run to dead-center, and two outs later Meggan Craviotto hit a towering shot well over the fence in left field.

But like clockwork, Chabot responded in the bottom half, scoring four times to tie the game at 5. The Gladiators then took their only lead of the game by scoring a run in the fourth for a 7-6 advantage. But the lead wouldn’t last long. CSM took the lead for good with a two-run fifth on a run-scoring double from Tatianna Grelli (2 for 4, two doubles) and a RBI single from Jackie Ferrari.

The Bulldogs added two critical insurance runs in the seventh. Grelli doubled with one out and scored on Craviotto’s triple down the right-field line. One out later Craviotto scored on a wild pitch to account for the game’s final run. Borg couldn’t have been more ecstatic with her team’s performance.

Not only did she lay it all on the line for her players, but they excelled in every phase of the game. Starting pitcher Cole did bend on occasion, but she never broke. She allowed 10 hits in a complete-game performance, holding Chabot scoreless for the final four innings.

“That’s what Lauren does — she gets stronger as the game goes on,” Borg said. “She’s got 20 wins for us and in high school she was a shortstop. She’s a pitcher who believes in herself and has made some major strides since the start of the season.”

Cole received a number of defensive gems throughout. Third baseman Anna Dea (two hits), right fielder Ashley Zmerzlikar (two hits) and second baseman Craviotto all turned in outstanding plays, and it was center fielder Ferrari who made the catch of the game, an over-the-shoulder effort with a runner at second and two out in the first. Ferrari’s catch saved a run and prevented Chabot from further extending the inning.

Out of the Bulldogs’ 16 hits, eight went for extra bases. CSM’s offense has come alive lately; it averaged 12.6 runs per game over its last five contests — all wins. Peterson had a huge day, falling a triple short for the cycle.

Peterson and Craviotto had three RBIs each to power the CSM lineup. The playoffs start a week from Saturday and the Bulldogs will open on the road — most likely against a powerful conference champion. However, Borg feels great about the group she’s leading. Now in her third year as the head coach and sixth overall with the program, she said this win ranked in her top five since she took over for legendary coach Tom Martinez.

“We hadn’t really gotten it done (in the last few years) when it counted, so this was a big deal,” Borg said. “We had a rough start in conference, losing to Ohlone and Chabot the first time we played them. When you lose both those games in the first round (of conference play), you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself to pick up your game toward the end of the season. The potential has been there all year, and there was no doubt in my mind our players were ready to play today. We’re on a great run and it’s been awesome. I’m kind of speechless. There are no words to describe how proud of I am with the team other than it’s a warm, fuzzy feeling.”