Woodstock North pitcher Levi Perrotta calls his demonstrative actions coming off the mound closer energy, and he never forgets to bring an ample supply of it to baseball games.

Even watching from the visiting dugout fence during an intense bottom of the seventh inning Thursday, Perrotta’s tenacity never wavered.

As soon as North finished off a 10-9 win over host Woodstock in the rivals’ Kishwaukee River Conference game – holding off the Blue Streaks after taking an early 8-0 lead – Perrotta hustled to greet his teammates. He cheered loudly and was ready to high-five anyone and everyone wearing a Thunder uniform.

“You got to trust yourself, trust your pitches and trust your guys to make plays,” Perrotta said of the final inning. “That’s what we did.”

North second baseman Tristan Schaffter snagged Logan Wisner’s line drive with runners on the corners to end the game, giving the Thunder (8-12, 6-4 KRC) a season sweep of the Blue Streaks (6-10-1, 4-6).

“Lots of nerves, but we got lots of confidence in our guys,” said North first baseman Lincoln Buening, who homered and doubled. “We knew we’d get it done.”

Perrotta made his first start of the season and helped give himself a big cushion to work with, as he singled in a six-run top of the first. When the 6-foot-1, 300-pound righty got a called third strike to end the Streaks’ first, he strutted to the dugout, pounding his chest while shouting “Let’s go!” multiple times.

He did the same after he got the final out in the second.

“I’ve always been like that,” the senior Perrotta said. “My entire life growing up, I was always a closer. ... It’s closer energy. It’s like [Aroldis] Chapman and all of those [MLB] guys whose arms are flame-throwers. They just bring it. They bring the heat.”

Perrotta and his teammates had an 8-0 lead after Buening homered and Brady Rogers doubled home a run in the second. But Woodstock had no intentions of losing by 10-run rule on its home field. The Streaks scored five times in the third and knocked Perrotta out of the game.

Woodstock’s third inning included Chace Waterson’s sacrifice fly, Chase Willard’s RBI single and Devin Haggerty’s two-run single.

“It was crazy,” said Woodstock shortstop Sonny Marsalla, who walked and stole a base in the inning. “The energy came alive. I feel like the first two innings we were down, but then all of a sudden the switch clicked on. The boys were going crazy in the dugout, on the field. Things just started clicking.”

North coach John Oslovich brought in lefty Ryan Lalor, who usually starts, after Perrotta threw a season-high 60 pitches.

“I don’t necessarily think our guys turned off,” Oslovich said. “Credit to [Woodstock]. They fought back.”

Each team scored twice in the fourth, with Brenner Swanson’s two-run single with two out bringing Woodstock to within 10-7. Noah Henning’s RBI double in the home fifth made it a two-run game.

Then in the seventh, Haggerty led off with a walk and stopped at second on Waterson’s two-out single. Marsalla then ripped a single to right field, scoring Haggerty, while Waterson raced to third.

The cleanup-hitting Wisner was next, but his line drive off Lalor was hit directly at Schaffter.

“It would have been amazing if we did [come back to tie or win it],” Marsalla said. “Coming up a little bit short hurts. Still, coming back that much, it’s kind of a win in our eyes.”

North’s Zaiden Vess, who will play baseball next year for Kishwaukee College and room with Marsalla, reached base all five times (three singles, two walks). Buening, Perrotta (double, two walks) and Rogers (two RBIs) each had two hits. Parker Halihan doubled in a run in the first, while Matthew Fansler had an RBI walk in the inning.

Buening’s homer was the third of the season and second in as many games against Woodstock for the 6-2, 250-pound slugger.

“I started slumping a little bit and then made a few adjustments to the swing mid-season, and I’ve been seeing the ball well,” Buening said.

Henning, Swanson and Haggerty had two-hit games for the Streaks. Wisner, who made a sliding catch in foul territory in right field in the seventh, made his pitching season debut, throwing four innings in relief (two runs, zero earned).

“Sometimes we battle back right away, and other times we don’t,” Woodstock coach Ian Rago said. “We showed a lot of heart today. ... It’s nice when that game [Woodstock vs. Woodstock North] is a battle.”