THETFORD, Vt. — Whenever Thetford’s Xander Oshoniyi tossed a pitch on Wednesday he thought would end an inning, he’d start walking toward the dugout before the umpire even made the call — a little swagger in his step.

Sometimes, the umpire called a ball instead, cutting Oshoniyi’s strut short.

No matter. When a team has confidence on the mound like the Panthers do, what’s one more pitch?

Second-seeded Thetford will head to Centennial Field for the second time in three years after dispatching No. 6 Green Mountain, 3-1, in a VPA Division III semifinal on a sunny Wednesday afternoon.

“It feels good,” Thetford coach Kris Keelty said. “We’ve known since day one that this was the goal, and we’ve been a lot better in the second half of the season.”

Oshoniyi and reliever Miles Lawrence combined for a one-hitter with 13 strikeouts, and Thetford overcame early miscues to generate enough offense against strong pitching and defense from the upset-minded Chieftains.

“We have like 11 guys on the team that can pitch,” Oshoniyi said. “So knowing that I have protection, no matter how many innings or pitches I throw, knowing that we have guys who can come in and do the same really helps.”

Green Mountain scored its only run in the first inning, taking advantage of back-to-back errors by the Thetford infield. The run came on an RBI groundout by Andrei Solzhenitsyn. But from there, Oshoniyi and the Panther defense settled in. The right-hander retired 13 of the next 14 batters between the first and fifth innings, with the lone exception being a fourth-inning hit batter who was later caught stealing.

Thetford tied the game in the bottom of the second when Andrew Spooner drove a double off the left-field wall to score Evan Patterson. The Panthers took the lead in the fourth when Owen Goodrich scored on a wild pitch.

Although Thetford made consistent contact off Green Mountain starter Tanner Swisher, most of it found gloves as the Chieftain defense held tough.

Lawrence added insurance before taking the mound in the sixth, roping a double to right field off Green Mountain reliever Evan Farrar to make it 3-1.

The freshman gave up a hit to his first batter but settled in quickly. He ended the sixth with a wicked curveball that froze Logan Williams for strike three, then struck out two more in the seventh to record a six-out save with four strikeouts.

“They’re outstanding,” Keelty said of Oshoniyi and Lawrence. “And they’re both coming back next year — that’s the best part. We know when they’re pitching well, we can beat anyone.”

On Saturday, Thetford will face a familiar foe: undefeated White River Valley. The two teams have developed a strong rivalry in recent years. The Panthers beat the Wildcats, 6-0, in the 2023 championship for their first title since 1986. White River Valley got its revenge in last year’s semifinal with a dramatic 8-6 win in Thetford.

Now, just 20 miles apart, they’ll meet again for the rubber match.

“They’re a great team, a great program,” Keelty said. “They’ve won a lot of close games recently, which shows some mental toughness on their part. We’re looking forward to the challenge — I’m sure they are, too.

“A lot of these boys know each other, so there’s a personal element. Should be a great game.”

For his part, Oshoniyi is focused on the bigger picture.

“Ultimately, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing at the end,” he said. “It’s at Centennial. We’re going to play our game.”

Still, there’s some personal history for Oshoniyi. In the 2023 final, he came within three outs of a no-hitter in a breakout performance as a freshman. Could he repeat it?

“Let’s hope!” he said with a grin. “We’re just going to go out there and work and have a strong performance. That’s what we’ve been working for all season.”

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday in Burlington.