PITTSBURGH — There’s the old baseball adage that, if you put the ball in play, good things will happen. That belief can show up in a multitude of ways.

If an offense makes the defense work, eventually the bounces will go in its favor. Or, if those hitters put more balls in the outfield, eventually they’ll drop for hits. Or, if an inning wears on, eventually a pitcher will make a mistake.

The Nationals and Pirates put that to the test Thursday afternoon in a game that went 10 innings. And Washington came out on top 8-7 in a seesaw affair at PNC Park that saw both sides trade punches until James Wood’s RBI single in the 10th delivered the knockout blow.

“In this league, it’s kind of tough to be one-dimensional, just to count on one thing,” Wood said. “I feel like we put a lot of pressure on the defense this series, just taking runs in that way. ... Being able to score in multiple ways is huge.”

In the ninth, Washington was one pitch from leaving Pittsburgh with a series split. Then Clayton Beeter, who loaded the bases with two outs, allowed an infield single to Brandon Lowe that sent the game to extras.

Then came Wood’s two-out single to score designated runner Jorbit Vivas from second. In the bottom of the frame, with runners on the corners, Orlando Ribalta induced a game-ending double play for his first career save.

“That’s our goal here: to always go out there and compete and win as many games as we can,” Ribalta said. “That’s what the boys have been doing. ... We’ve been fighting.”

The first four innings were uneventful. The Nationals were too aggressive. The Pirates weren’t aggressive enough. And, when balls were put in play, it was often weak contact.

The Nationals (9-10) finished 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. But their ability to put balls in play resulted in four errors by the Pirates (11-8).

The first came in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Luis García Jr. hit a slow roller to rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin.

Griffin hesitated, then attempted to beat Nasim Nuñez to second base. He didn’t. Still, he tried to throw to first to get García out. Instead, he spiked the ball in the ground.

Vivas, Drew Millas and Nuñez all scored and, even after a review to see if Griffin touched second, the Nationals led 3-0. García, who reached second on the play, later scored on an errant pickoff attempt.

Manager Blake Butera called Nuñez’s hustle on the three-run error in the fifth the “most exciting part of the game.” Nuñez credited first base coach Corey Ray for telling him to break up the double play.

“Shoutout to Corey,” Nuñez said. “Right before that, he reminded me like, ‘Let’s go. Let’s apply some pressure. Let’s try to break up a double play.’ So I was going in there hard regardless.”

The Nationals entered Thursday’s game as one of the better hitting teams in baseball. They ranked fourth in the majors in slugging percentage. Yet they’ve also shown an ability to win games by making opposing defenses work.

“We’ve seen the long balls. We’ve also seen a day like today without home runs where we’re putting balls in play, we’re putting pressure on the defense,” Butera said. “Against a pitching group like Pittsburgh has, sometimes you’re not going to be able to lean on the long ball. Being able to have versatility and depth in the lineup allows us to play a couple different types of offense.”

Nationals starter Foster Griffin worked into pitcher’s counts early and often in his first time through the order. He found himself in 0-2 or 1-2 counts against seven of the first nine batters he faced. Griffin struck out seven Pirates with five different pitches.

So, trailing in the fifth inning, the Pirates started to counter Griffin’s aggression with some of their own. The result was more balls in play and more hits.

Two runners reached base on singles. Then Oneil Cruz roped an RBI double at 119 mph. Marcell Ozuna followed with a towering three-run homer that hit the rotunda in left field. Griffin threw up his hand in disgust as soon the ball left his hand. Suddenly, the score was tied at 4.

The game continued to swing back and forth. Joey Wiemer hit a pinch-hit RBI double in the top of the sixth. Konnor Griffin responded with an RBI triple in the bottom of the frame, followed by a go-ahead RBI single from Nick Gonzales.

“It kind of just had that feel the whole day,” Foster Griffin said. “As soon as we put the four, then they came back with a four spot. ... Baseball happens that way sometimes, so I had a feeling it was going to be a close one back and forth a lot.”

The Nationals loaded the bases in the seventh and scored two runs when Jacob Young was hit by a pitch and Daylen Lile came home on a wild pitch.

Even after the Pirates tied the game in the ninth, the Nationals just kept hitting.

“That’s why we play. That’s why we’re all here,” Butera said. “We’re here for games like that, for moments like that. For players to step up and come up clutch in big situations. Those games are so much fun for both sides. At the end of the day, it’s better being on the winning end.”

This article has been updated.