PINETOWN — Friday’s clash between Northside and East Carteret was more than a battle for the No. 1 spot in the 1-A Coastal Plains Conference. The game had the feel of a playoff game. Thankfully for the Lady Panthers, it wasn’t. They get the chance to evaluate what went wrong — namely the six errors they committed — to ensure they don’t slip up when their season is on the line.

The left side of the infield struggled, especially shortstop Whitney Cromwell. A handful of balls batted her way slipped right through. It hasn’t been a consistent problem for Northside this season. The girls had committed less than one error per game entering Friday’s contest. That said, the team is relatively young and can learn from the mistakes that plagued them in that game.

There were other instances when the Lady Panthers didn’t make the routine plays coach Riley Youmans expected. It’s going to be one of the first things he addresses next time the girls reconvene for practice.

“They’ve got to learn to play the second hop and not the first hop,” Youmans said. “That’s something that’s going to need to be addressed. There were two balls in the outfield that were hit hard, but I felt like we were in the position to catch them. That’s something we’re going to need to address.”

On offense, Youmans wants to see his team be more aggressive at the plate than they were on Friday. Just like the errors, that isn’t something that’s been problematic all season. Northside has scored 138 runs in 15 games this season. The Lady Panthers tagged East Carteret and elite pitcher Emily McGee for five runs, but Youmans would like to see more from their bats.

“We’ve got to start hitting the ball a little better,” he said. “I think we’re being a little picky at the plate. When we have runners on base, we need to put the ball in play. We’re looking for the perfect pitch.”

While mistakes cost Northside the game, the Lady Panthers continued to show their resolve. Recently that’s meant scoring a handful of two-out runs in games that didn’t last more than four or five innings. This time around it meant a hard-fought comeback attempt, despite trailing 7-2 at one point.

They had the Lady Mariners on their heels in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs and a four-run deficit, Northside was able to plate a run and load the bases. The tying runs were on, but Kendall Alligood flew out to close the inning.

Even though the chance slipped away, the never-say-die attitude Youmans observed was reassuring. It’s something that only becomes more valuable once the postseason comes around.

“There were a lot of good things and the main one is that we never gave up,” Youmans said. “… These girls, they don’t look at it like they’re beat. They’re always ready to play, fight back and play hard. There’s some things we need to work on and we’ll address them this week. I’m proud of this team.”