Staff photo / Brian Yauger Chalker’s Abby Grimm rounds second base during the team’s 12-8 away victory over Bristol on Tuesday.

BRISTOLVILLE — Despite falling in an early hole, the Chalker Wildcats powered through to take down Bristol 12-8 in a Northeastern Athletic (NAC) showdown on Tuesday.

“That’s a really nice hitting team there. They have some good hitters and good fielding,” Chalker coach Rich Hudak said. “We knew that coming into this. You’ve got to prepare for every single game. Every time we have to come prepared. We haven’t played since last Thursday, and that’s hard. But they’re a great team and I hope to see them keep growing.”

The Panthers threw a hit parade during the middle innings, piling on the runs. Bristol found gaps in the outfield and made the Wildcats pay, scoring eight consecutive runs during the third and fourth innings.

“They had some nice gap shots,” Hudak said. “I mean, you could hardly place the ball better with your hand than what they were doing. You just have to tip your hat to the batter. We’re not going to get everything, but we surely try, but we did tighten up there (after the fourth) and (it worked for us).”

The Wildcats weren’t going to lay down, however, and let the Panthers roll over them. Sitting in an 8-3 hole going into the top of the sixth, Chalker stormed back, adding six runs to take the lead.

They just kept knocking each other home. Kelsey Kren was sent home by Abby Grimm who was sent home by Riley Ashcraft. Add in Tatum Hudak and Julia Ross, each walked home, quickly turning the game into a true nailbiter.

“Just pass the torch to the next person,” Hudak said. “Whether it’s a base hit, we draw a walk, we draw a couple of walks, be patient at the plate. We weren’t being patient early on. We were out on our front foot grounding the ball out or popping them up. Be patient, adjust, and it worked out well for us.”

The win bumps Chalker to 6-2 on the season.

Bristol falls to 5-5.

While wishing the game ended in a win for her team, Panthers coach Katie Roman is proud of the effort from her girls and hopes this kickstarts some wins down the road.

“We really came alive there in the third and the fourth,” Roman said. “It sucks leaving all those base runners on. It’s a different ballgame, right? I’m really proud of my girls for coming back and showing them, ‘Hey this is Bristol ball. We got this.’ Shout out to Chalker for also doing the same thing and coming back. It was a hard-fought game and I’m really proud of them.”

Bristol closes the week out with games against Maplewood today and Fairport Harding on Thursday.

Tuesday’s game serves as a lesson for the Wildcats. Even when you’re in a hole, you can escape and come out on top. With a red-hot Mathews team awaiting them today, there may not have been a better time to learn that lesson.

“We just had this conversation right out here on the field (after the game),” Hudak said. “Never discount yourself. Never discount what you can do. I don’t care how far down you are. You guys are an awesome team, you can put the bat on the ball. We can make things happen. Never ever count yourself out, and this was a true testament to that. It’s a long game. You gotta go the full seven innings and see what happens.”

First pitch against the Mustangs is set for 5 p.m.