It was a crazy end to the regular season for the Zephyr baseball team, but they rallied to overcome the odds, winning their final three games to catapult them into the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference playoffs.

That crazy week began last Tuesday against Parkland, a game that lasted 10 innings before it got suspended. It ended in a 6-6 tie, so they now had to resume play on Thursday after their game with Northampton. They also had a game against Nazareth on Wednesday, and factoring in those three extra innings played against the Trojans, and the possibility of more to come if it remain deadlocked when they resumed action Thursday night, they were looking at the possibility of playing four games in three days.

That’s a lot of baseball in a short period of time.

“It was hectic, that’s for sure,” said manager Shaun O’Boyle whose team had to board a bus for Parkland once their game against Northampton concluded.

But the Zephs didn’t have to worry about the suspended game lasting that long. Matt Dobeck scored on Zach Hamscher’s sacrifice fly in the top of the 11th, and then Alex Bruneio set the Trojans down in order in the bottom of the inning for the 7-6 win.

Dobeck finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Austin Dreisbach and Matt Ziminsky each had two hits and two RBIs.

In the game against Nazareth, the Zephs pounded out nine hits en route to the 4-1 victory. Dobeck was once again in the thick of things offensively, finishing with two hits and two RBIs. Gianni Sinatore also had two hits, as well as an RBI and two runs scored.

Ziminsky got the complete-game win, striking out six Blue Eagles, while allowing just one earned run.

In the last game of the regular season, Zach Gilbert went the distance for the Zephs in their 5-2 win. He allowed six hits over seven innings and struck out two. He also put a charge into the baseball at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Ziminsky was 2-for-4 against the Kids, while Bruneio was 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. Sinatore continued to provide offense down the stretch, finishing 1-for-3, while Noah Kline was 1-for-3 as well.

The Nazareth and Parkland wins avenged earlier season losses to their division rivals. And with those three consecutive wins to close out the year, the Zephs qualified for the EPC playoffs.

O’Boyle said that their bats came alive during that stretch.

“We’ve been hitting, but more importantly, we’re getting timely hitting,” said O’Boyle.

They scored 16 runs in those three games and O’Boyle said that their bats woke up at the right time.

The Zephs dipped into a losing streak during the back half of their schedule, and O’Boyle said that their ability to rally that final week was a combination of everyone stepping up and making sure they were getting the job done. He said the seniors played an important role in that push to the playoffs and made sure the rest of the team wasn’t going to stay down after losing those four games in a row.

That attitude was clearly evident in the dugout against Parkland when O’Boyle said you couldn’t hear yourself talk.

Then they took on Liberty in the opening round of the EPC playoffs scheduled for last Saturday. However, a rain-drenched field forced the game to be moved to Freedom.

The Zephs took the early 1-0 lead in the first, but the Hurricanes stormed back, scoring three in the second, followed by a solo home run that put them up 4-1 in the third.

However, Bruneio plugged into his personal power supply and put a charge into the baseball for a two-run shot. That cut the ’Canes lead to 4-3.

In the fifth, O’Boyle said that old adage that baseball is a game of inches came into play. With Sinatore on second and Bruneio on first after an intentional walk, Dreisbach stepped to the plate. O’Boyle said Dreisbach hit a scorching liner to second, probably the second-hardest hit of the game behind Bruneio’s homer, but the second baseman leapt high in the air to snag what could have been a triple with the ball skittering on a wet outfield.

“If that one plays goes a different way, it’s a totally different game,” said O’Boyle.

The ’Canes tacked on an insurance run for the eventual 5-3 win, knocking the Zephs out of the championships.

O’Boyle said he had no complaints. “They played well,” he said.

Bruneio finished the game 3-for-3 with that homer and three RBIs. Sinatore added a triple and run scored.

The Zephs will now prepare for district action. O’Boyle said that they’ll most likely end up as a 4th seed, based on the way the EPC playoffs have unfolded. If they retain the 4th seed, they’ll get a first-round bye next week.