The Panthers mob Jacoby Caissie after he came on in relief to get the final out with the bases loaded to give the Panthers a 2-1 win over Nashua North in the Battle of the Bridge Friday night at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – They don’t call it a Battle for nothing.

That’s exactly what Friday night’s baseball version of the Nashua High School North vs. South Battle of the Bridge before a great Holman Stadium crowd was.

It was a test of wills. Of great plays. Of mistakes. Of crazy, zany plays. In the end, the South Panthers walked away with a 2-1 win that will be talked about and remembered for quite some time.

“We were just talking about it at the plate after game, me and Coach (James) Gaj,” Titans coach Zach Harris said. “It’s always crazy, this one. Regardless of records, the way teams are playing coming in, this one always finds a way to be an absolute battle.”

Boy was it ever. It ended with South reliever Jacoby Caissie getting a called third strike with bases loaded vs. North’s Zach Fisher to end a mistake-filled but incredibly entertaining thriller.

The Panthers (4-6) were clinging to a 2-1 lead with ace Brendon Doughty (11 strikeouts, three hits, five walks, one hit batsman) on the mound going into the bottom of the seventh. But a Dawson Bolton infield hit, a plunking of Brayden Ouellet and an intentional walk to dangerous Titan hitter Nolan Sullivan after a passed ball left first base open loaded the bases with nobody out. The Titans (1-10) looked in prime position to either snapping a nine-game skid or at the very least sending the game to extras.

Somehow, some way, neither happened.

Owen Forcier grounded into a force out at the plate, and Doughty struck out Jake Munroe. But that was his 116th pitch, the NHIAA-imposed limit of 120 pitches was waiting to Gaj pulled him for Caissie, who had been in right field.

Caissie got hurt (shoulder) during hockey season, and this was his first time on the mound after being the Panthers’ closer last year.

“I’m made for moments like this, I was ready,” Caissie said.

“Last year he was our high stress reliever, he’s the guy that can come in and shut the door, the moment doesn’t get too big for him,” Gaj said. “We were going to Jacoby in a high leverage situation, we know he thrives off that.”

It seemed ages ago when the runs that mattered were scored by South, coming on a two-run single by Anderson Tolentino after the Titans committed three errors, dropping three pop ups, two on foul balls. Titan starter Owen Forcier certainly deserved better.

“I think we gave them a six or seven out first inning,” Harris said, “and Coach Gaj does a great job of capitalizing on mistakes. And they did just that. We clean that up and do a better job in the first inning, who knows?”

But South couldn’t score again, even though it had a ton of chances. With runners at second and third in the third and one out, Aiden O’Connor arrived at third with teammate Jack Ninteau staying put there on a ground ball. Oops. Garrett Schmidt got picked off on a steal attempt in the fourth, and otherwise would have scored on a Max Demers triple. Double oops. Oh, and in the top of the seventh, Ninteau inexplicably tried to score from second on a sac bunt and was a dead duck at the plate. Triple oops.

Nashua South’s Brendon Doughty delivers a pitch to North’s Jake Munroe during Friday night’s Battle of the Bridge at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

“We ran ourselves out of a couple of runs,” Gaj said. “Unfortunately, in high school baseball games, especially this game, you lose sight of the situation. … Luckily they didn’t kill us. They almost did. Pitching saved us again.”

In the sixth Demers thought he had another triple that would have scored a run, but it bounced around in the bullpen and was ruled a ground rule double.

North, meanwhile, got its lone run on a bases loaded walk issued by Doughty to No. 9 hitter Ben Kelly. But it could have been worse when the next hitter, Dawson Bolton, hit a bloop that looked like it would be in no man’s land just beyond the right side of the infield but it was run down by Panther second baseman Demers for the defensive play of the night.

“All week I had kind of been ready with pop ups, big game, the lights can get too bright and you can lose it up there,” Demers said. “Yesterday did a bunch of pop flies for an hour…I had no doubt once I tracked that ball it was going to go right into the glove.”

Three innings later, the drama increased tenfold.The Titans had to feel good with the bases juiced and Doughty clearly tiring.

“For sure, kudos for them, executing in the bottom of the seventh there,” Harris said. “It’s a tough thing to do with a lot of pressure. … Great job by their two guys, what a performance by Doughty and Jacoby coming in and closing it down in a huge spot.”

“Obviously you want to stay in, get the last kid, get the complete game,” Doughty said. “But I had so much trust in Jacoby, I knew it wasn’t going to matter.”

That, it seems, is how these Battles are won.

Nashua North infielder Dawson Bolton takes the throw at second in plenty of time to get South’s Jack Ninteau (3) out at second during Friday night’s Battle of the Bridge. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)