PINETOWN — Intuitive defense backed with precise pitching is a recipe for perpetual success in the game of baseball. They’re two keys Beaufort County Post 15 have used this season to unlock a conference championship-worthy season.

Riding the efficient arm of Austin Roscoe and with only nine active players, the Pirates erased an early deficit to secure yet another come-from-behind, 5-2 win over Wilson Post 13 on Monday.

Despite giving up eight hits, Roscoe failed to give up a single walk or hit batter. Trusting his defense, he challenged the Wilson lineup to put the ball in play, pounding the inside of the strike zone with a barrage of fastballs and drop-off sliders. Post 13 turned on a few of those insides fastballs, but for the most part, the game was won in the infield.

“All season bouncing back. Every single one of them picked each other up, every one of them played hard,” said head coach Glenn Marsh after the game. “Austin was typical Austin on the mound tonight. Roscoe dictated the game and was efficient, around 80 pitches for seven innings. He got a lot of ground balls and short fly balls. When they did hit the ball hard, the defense was there, so I was very proud of this team.”

Roscoe went the distance for Post 15, allowing two runs (one earned) and striking out five.

While the defense was solid, it wasn’t flawless. In the first inning, Wilson’s Connor Griffin reached on an infield error, which was followed by singles from Tucker Robbins and Parker Garris, giving the visitors a quick 1-0 advantage.

Garris, Wilson’s starter, came out strong early with a series of knee-buckling off-speed pitches, but Post 15 managed to even the score in the second inning. Brantley Cutler legged out an infield single to leadoff and two batters later, Zach Woolard, playing in his first game for Beaufort County, smashed a single up the middle. Then, with two outs, Tanner Alligood redirected a fastball to the gap in left-center, legging out a double and scoring Cutler.

But Wilson would have its answer in the top of the third, as three singles from Griffin, Alston Pittman and Garris reclaimed the lead.

Beaufort County continued to bail out Roscoe with fine defensive play, as Wilson left a total of 10 runners on base through seven innings. And in the fourth, the host’s offense finally came through for its starter. Chase Sauls reached on a chopper up the third base line and Garris walked Woolard. Coming off a big hit in the second, Alligood again came through with an RBI single. Woolard later circled the bases on a throwing error by the catcher, giving Post 15 a 4-2 lead.

Roscoe settled down through the final three innings, allowing only three hits, while Beaufort County tacked on another run of insurance in the fifth on a walk, a single from Cutler and a pair of hit batters.

“They just played hard and went to work … They just went to work,” Marsh said. “Like I said before the game, it only takes nine to play the game and we only have nine here.”

“We’ve had a couple of dads ask us how in the word we did it? We just asked (the players) to buy in and have fun with it. And they have, every single one of them. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

With the win, Post 15 remains atop the Area 1 standings with a 13-5 (10-2 Area 1) record with two games remaining in the regular season. The Pirates will host Perquimans at Washington’s Futrell Field on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the team’s final home game of the season. With a win on Wednesday, Post 15 locks up the Area 1 regular season championship.

“I think that’s the way they want it, with their backs against the wall,” Marsh said. “They seem to perform better with a little adversity. When they lose, they come back and put together a performance like this.”