Considering the circumstances, it was the case Mars might have most preferred.

With lead-off hitter and senior shortstop Jake Johnson at the dish and the tying run at third base, Planets coach Jason Thompson had full confidence on Thursday night.

“If it came down to that situation, I’m going to roll with Jake Johnson,” Thompson said. “This is just one of those times. This is the outlier. This isn’t how this situation’s always going to end for us.

“When you go in down where you had the lead ... we could’ve easily just folded.”

Johnson returned a chopper to West Allegheny reliever Wil Gubba, who tossed it to first to put the stamp on the Indians’ come-from-behind 6-5 WPIAL Section 3-5A baseball win at Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park.

For Mars (4-2, 1-1), Finn Seideneck led that seventh inning with a double that died in the damp grass a few feet from the foul line in right field. Austin Kuremsky moved him ahead by grounding out to short, then pinch hitter Hayden Reisinger worked a walk and runner Vinnie Gottschalk stole second.

Seideneck was able to wheel home, sliding head-first, after a dropped third strike in Danny Murray’s at-bat. Gottschalk was marooned at third to end it.

“We’re seeing a make-up of a team early on that no matter the situation, they’re always going to compete,” Thompson said. “We could be down two runs. We could be down three runs when it comes to the seventh. We could be up. It doesn’t matter.”

With the score knotted at four, the Indians’ Brendan Burke singled to open the bottom of the sixth. He moved to second via Jonah Buglak’s sacrifice bunt and came around on Brock Cornell’s triple. A two-out single by Gubba pushed Cornell home, rounding out the scoring for West Allegheny (2-2, 1-1).

Gubba also pitched the final 1.2 innings, striking out a pair and walking one.

“He’s a kid that battles,” Indians coach Bryan Cornell said. “He’s not a pitcher. He’s our starting catcher. ... I wouldn’t want anyone else to have the ball in the seventh inning with the tying run at third.”

Johnson scored as Zach Rozman hit into a fielder’s choice in the top first, then Shane Kleinfelter followed after an errant throw as the Indians tried to turn two.

Johnson singled in the top of the third before Charlie Bickel brought him around with a base knock. With no outs and runners on the corners in that frame, starter Brandon Boyce was chased after two frames.

“That top half of the lineup was just finding ways to get on base,” Thompson said. “Whether it was just walks or just barreling baseballs.”

Brady Miller got West Allegheny on the scoreboard with a one-out RBI double in the bottom half of that inning. Cornell’s two-out, two-RBI double followed in the next. Derek Curry’s fourth-frame sac fly leveled matters after a walk and pick-off error put Gubba on third with none gone.

“When you just keep plugging away, you never know what’s going to happen,” Coach Cornell said. “Hats off to our pitching staff. We used a lot of guys tonight and did just enough to win.”

Mars 202 000 1 — 5 7 3

West Allegheny 001 212 x — 6

W: Wil Gubba 1.2IP (2K, 1BB). L: Grady Speigle 2IP (2K, 0BB).

Mars (4-2, 1-1): Jake Johnson 2-1B 2R, Shane Kleinfelter 1B 2R, Charlie Bickel 1B RBI, Jacob Maple 1B, Zach Rozman RBI, Finn Seideneck 2B 1B R

West Allegheny (2-2, 1-1): Brock Cornell 3B 2B 1B 3RBI R, Brady Miller 2B RBI, Wil Gubba 1B RBI R, Derek Curry RBI, Ben Kern 1B, Mason Gass 1B, Brendan Burke 1B R, Jonah Buglak 2R

Tuesday: Mars at North Hills