TACOMA — North Kitsap pitcher Jared Prince likened his baseball team’s entrance into Washington’s 4A final 16 with college’s NCAA basketball tournament.

“We’re at the sweet 16,” Prince said. “It’s like the NCAA — we have to keep on rolling.”

The Vikings did just that last Saturday, beating the Prairie Falcons 5-4 at Tacoma’s Heidelberg Park. The victory puts North Kitsap only four wins away from a Washington State title, with the team back at Heidelberg next Saturday for regional action.

Prairie was certainly not a walk-over for the Vikings, with North coming from behind twice — at 2-0 and 4-3 — to tie the game. In the bottom of the seventh with North’s Andy Sturza aboard at second, Dan Peck pulled a base hit into right field to score Sturza and the game-winning run.

North’s resilience — the never-say-die attitude that has become the team’s mantra — was once again a key factor in the team’s victory.

“We’re always battling,” said NK catcher Marcus Curtis. “And we just stayed strong because we’re battling.”

Facing a strong left-handed pitcher in Prairie’s Adrian Gomez, the predominantly right-handed Vikings dealt all game with pitches that came into the hands on the inside corner. But whenever Gomez would throw one out over the plate, the Vikings punished him to a tune of nine hits.

Down 2-0, NK’s JB Kandoll drove a ball deep to the gap right-center for two RBIs and Sturza punched a single to right as well for another run scored. After Prairie retook the lead in the top of the third, Gomez mowed down three of North’s best hitters in order — Peck, Prince and Curtis. But in the bottom of the fourth, Kandoll again took Gomez for a single to right field that scored Jeff Camus and tied the game at 4-all.

From there, North’s defense was perfect — almost. In the fifth, Prairie’s Chuck Park laid down a pristine bunt up the left-field line. A charging Travis Tobin overthrew the ball to first base and Park looked to pick up an extra base. But Kandoll recovered the ball and threw to shortstop Peck who made the tag for an out.

In the top of the sixth with one out and with the Falcons’ Gomez on second, Prince was ready to make a 3-2 pitch to Jason Brown but flipped around and threw to Peck who tagged Gomez. The next pitch Prince sailed a fastball past Brown for a third strike to end the inning. Prince was visibly pumped up by the subsequent plays.

“When we come into the seventh inning tied, we expect to win,” Prince said of getting out of the sixth. “And we’ll battle until we do.”

North Kitsap (19-3) will play Lake Washington at 2 p.m. Saturday at Heidelberg in Tacoma.

“That’s good news,” Frease said. “It means the guys can sleep in.”