PINETOWN — Northside’s defense buckled down and its offense overcame adversity to walk off, 3-2, in the bottom of the ninth against South Creek on Monday afternoon.

The Panthers had plenty of opportunities late in the game to earn the win. They had runners in scoring position in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings, but stranded a total of nine — eight of which were on second or third base.

“It’s tough. It was a rollercoaster,” said coach Keith Boyd. “We look like we’re in great position four or five times in the game and just can’t come up with a hit. We couldn’t bring the runner across. You get real high and then it doesn’t happen and you’ve got to get back in the field and buckle down.”

They battled on, despite the apparent lack of a scoring touch. After Parker Boyd led off in the fifth with a groundout at second base, Reg Bishop reached via an error by the opposing catcher. He stole second base, allowing him to tie the game at two apiece by scoring on Brock Marsh’s base hit through the left side.

Northside had the opportunity to take the lead in that frame, but sophomore Zach Woolard struck out with runners on second and third.

The chance to take control was there in the sixth, too. Boyd drew a walk to join Bishop and Matthew Marslender. The Panthers had the bases loaded with one out, but failed to push anyone across.

The eighth inning went the same way. Northside loaded the bases with one out, but Marsh and Jensen Hawkins struck out on consecutive at bats to leave three teammates on base.

The Panthers’ defense was able to keep them in the game as the offense looked for the one run it needed. Nick Crisp relieved senior lefty Zach Woolard in the top of the sixth. He faced nine batters in his first three frames. Northside retired the Cougars in order in the sixth and eighth and turned a double play in the seventh to keep the game tied.

“The beginning of the game wasn’t great (defensively),” Boyd said. “But in those last four or five innings, we played pretty darn well. We had the double play there, Nick came in and did a really good job on the mound by throwing strikes for us. We played behind it. That’s where our consistency has to get better.”

Northside finally broke through in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Bishop reached and advanced to second thanks to an error in left field. Ethan Cosentino, facing a full count, hammered a line drive to centerfield, plating Bishop and winning the game.

Northside has struggled with consistency this season, but has shown plenty of resolve for a relatively young group. This performance — especially on the defensive end — proved that. It’s something the Panthers hope to build on as the second half of the season approached.