It was only a matter of time before one pitcher or another began to give ground.Thankfully, for Coach Eric Burle, it was his pitching staff that withstood the test during a 7-3 win over host St. Dominic through 10 innings in the Class 4 District 7 semifinal on Tuesday.“We had a lot of chances throughout the game, but we had gotten into some tough luck,” said Burle.In the end, the Warriors had just enough depth and fresh arms in their bullpen, relying on three pitchers.“I think (this win) was big on a number of levels,” said Burle. “This team on and off the field has gone through a lot this year and has come up short-handed. That says a lot for them to  persevere and be resilient.”With the Warriors’ pitchers holding their ground, the bats produced the timely hits necessary for the escape in the 10th inning.“We had really good approaches throughout the game and kept the pressure on them,” said Burle. “As the No. 1 seed, it was on them to win, and we didn’t have as much to lose, so I think that helped us play looser.”Warrenton placed runners on the base paths in all but one inning and would make it all the way through the order in the 10th.With bases loaded, junior Dallas Johnson connected on a line drive to score Sawyer Junker.Hunter Capstick then scored Ben Stephens, and Austin Dixon sacrificed Johnson home. Capstick would also score during that frame.“We had a lot of quality at-bats and were able to keep them on their heels by always having runners on the base paths,” said Burle.The Warriors trailed 3-2 heading into the sixth inning, when Johnson drove in Junker on another line drive. Warrenton loaded the bases with two outs but couldn’t pull through the winning run.Burle says it was one of many instances of the defense rising to the challenge.“There were some game-saving plays on both ends,” said Burle. “In the ninth inning they had runners on first and second with two outs. Sawyer laid out coming in on the ball. If it would have gotten down that would have won the game for them.”Sophomore Dalton Owenby started on the mound for the Warriors, walking one, while allowing six hits and two earned runs through three innings.“He did a good job for us, especially considering he hasn’t thrown a lot of innings for us this year,” said Burle.Stephens, who started in Monday’s win over Liberty, tossed the following three innings. He struck out five, walked two and allowed one hit before having to step off to adhere to the 10 innings over three days rule.Capstick closed the game, walking one and giving up five hits through four innings.Burle says he wasn’t clear on whether Stephens, the ace, would get the start during the championship game against St. Charles West on Thursday.“It just depends how Ben is feeling and how well he is recovered,” said Burle. “The good thing is he hasn’t pitched a lot over the past couple weeks.”The Warriors split with St. Charles West during regular season play. The contest begins at 4 p.m.WARRIORS ADVANCEDerrick Forsythe photo.