The bus ride for the Milford High softball team is often sprinkled with cackles and jokes, but not on Saturday’s drive to Jack Tripp Field in Taunton. “You could hear crickets,’’ said Scarlett Hawks coach Steve DeVitto, who took note of his team’s serious demeanor.

As ace senior pitcher Allie Atherton put it, “Everyone was focused and ready to kick [butt].’’

Atherton brought a Zen-like intensity to the circle and spun one of the best games in her four-year career to lead Milford to a 4-0 victory over previously unbeaten Silver Lake in the Division 1 South sectional final.

Despite failing to register a strikeout, Atherton held the top-seeded Lakers (25-1) to one hit and one walk in a complete-game effort as the Hawks (23-1) captured their first sectional title since 2013, when three-time Gatorade Player of the Year Shannon Smith dominated from the mound.

“What can you say about Allie?’’ DeVitto said. “Obviously, not her greatest outing the other night [10 hits allowed in a 6-3 win over Hopkinton], but she comes out here today and [has] one of her better outings in her four years.’’

“Great job by Allie, and great job by this team.’’

On Saturday, Atherton deferred to her defense and kept the speedy Lakers lineup off the bases, pounding drop balls low and away to induce weak contact.

“I’m not going to get a million strikeouts a game, and I know that — I’m not a Shannon Smith,’’ said Atherton, who’s headed to Southern New Hampshire University in the fall. “But I work hard and I know how to throw to these girls.’’

“I know how to get them to hit little grounders or little pop-ups. That was the key today.’’

The Hawks got all the insurance they needed in the top of the third inning when senior Maggie Farrell cleared the bases with a two-run, stand-up double to deep center field for a 2-0 lead. The left fielder scored from second two batters later on Kaitlyn DeCapua’s RBI bloop single to right.

Milford tacked on one more in the sixth when, with the bases loaded, junior Kate Irwin hit a feathery blooper into no-man’s land in the left field, dropping cleanly to score pinch-runner Antonia Bonina.

Division 3 South

West Bridgewater 6, Greater New Bedford 2 — West Bridgewater pitcher Allie May fanned five Greater New Bedford batters, and she belted a three-run homer that helped the Wildcats knock off the defending Division 3 South champion for their first sectional title since 2004.

West Bridgewater (22-2) will play Austin Prep (22-2) in a state semifinal Tuesday (5 p.m.) in Taunton.

“I like inside pitches,’’ said May of her second-inning shot, turning on an 0-2 pitch low and inside that hugged the left field pole for a 4-0 lead. “It’s good knowing that I can help myself, but my teammates helped me the most. They had my back the whole game.’’

Indeed, after GNB (20-6) got two back in the top of the third on a two-run single from Payton Conceiceo, the Wildcats got insurance with two more runs produced by Kayla Connors -- first a sacrifice fly to deep right in the third, then a bloop single to right in the fifth for the 6-2 lead.

Division 3 North

Austin Prep 8, Latin Academy 0 — The Cougars (22-2) took advantage of a stellar complete-game performance from ace pitcher Logan MacDonald (10 strikeouts) and a three-run second inning in the shutout victory over the Dragons (23-3) in the Division 3 North sectional final at Endicott College.

Brendan Hall reported from Taunton, Brandan Blom reported from Beverly.