After trailing 2-0 since the first inning, Northside felt like it was only a matter of time before something went its way. The Panthers got what they needed when they capitalized on three hits and a fielding error in a 3-2 win over Washington on Tuesday.

Parker Boyd led off the sixth inning with a double to left field. Tanner Alligood followed with a line drive over the opposing second baseman and then stole second base to put a pair of Panthers in scoring position with no outs.

Braedon Burbage’s groundout to third base was enough of an opening for Boyd to come in and cut the deficit in half. Washington nearly got out with its lead intact, but the throw from shortstop to first soared over Tyler Harrell, allowing Zach Woolard to reach safely and Alligood to score the tying run.

Woolard advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on James Barrow’s base knock to right field.

“I wanted to see it 2-2, then we were able to plate another one on that error,” Northside coach Keith Boyd said. “The baseball gods were with us tonight. We kept plugging. We didn’t crush any tonight, but we were able to get the win.”

Not only did Woolard score the go-ahead run, but he also rolled through three scoreless innings in relief. He faced four batters in each of the fifth and sixth frames before retiring the Pam Pack in order in the seventh, sealing the win for the Panthers.

“We’re a fighting team. We’re not going to give up, no matter who it is or what the situation is,” Woolard said. “I did what coach Boyd always preaches to me. I took a deep breath and did what I do.”

After conceding a lead-off single to Reg Bishop in the first, Washington’s defense quickly escaped when Tripp Barfield got a strikeout and Cooper Anderson gunned down Bishop as he tried to steal third. The offense fed off that early momentum as Matt Black drew a walk and Frederick Holscher singled to shortstop.

The Pam Pack duo came around to score on Logan Little’s single to right-centerfield.

Northside had a runner on base in each of the first four frames, but Barfield was able to escape unscathed.

“He threw alright. He threw more pitches than I would have liked and got behind on some batters,” Washington coach Kevin Leggett said. “He worked himself out of some jams, which was good while he was in.”

On the other hand, after letting two across in the first, Northside pitcher Zach Griffin and the defense behind him buckled down. The mental fortitude was a stark contrast to what may have unfolded after conceding early runs a year ago, and is a reason why the Panthers are 4-0.

“We’re doing it with pitching and defense. I think we had one or two errors there, but we haven’t had more than one or two per game,” Boyd said. “We kept walks to a minimum. … We were resilient. In years past, we would have gotten down 2-0, then 5-0 and 6-1. We’ve just decided that with this crowd, we’re going to play baseball until the end.”