After scoring 16 runs in their three previous games, Whitehall couldn’t push home a run against Emmaus last Friday, eliminating them from the St. Luke’s Lehigh Valley High School Baseball Tournament.

The Zephyrs made it to the round of 16, winning their first two games against Allen and Palmerton at Coplay’s Samuel Balliet Stadium.

Their following game against Parkland turned into a slugfest as both teams scored three runs in the first inning. Parkland put five more runs on the board in the top of the second, and were able to hang on for the 9-7 win.

Head coach Shaun O’Boyle said that they struggled with their control from the mound. He said that issuing eight walks is never a good formula for success, and while they outscored the Trojans 4-1 after the second inning, they ran out of innings as they bumped up against the two-hour time limit which halted the game after five innings. O’Boyle said that they had the momentum the last three innings and we on a roll.

“We were starting to come back and ran out of time,” said O’Boyle.

The location switched to Limeport Stadium for their game against Emmaus in the round of 16. The Hornets kept the Zephyrs off the scoreboard, scoring the winning run in the third inning, and then tacking on two more in the fourth for the 3-0 victory.

That loss ended Whitehall’s run in the double-elimination tourney. Their two losses came against the teams who played for the championship at Coca-Cola Park on Monday.

O’Boyle said that they battled, but couldn’t get that big hit.

“We played hard and came up a little short,” he said.

He said that they had opportunities throughout the game, with runners in scoring position on multiple occasions.

“We definitely had our opportunities to score, “O’Boyle said. “We just needed a couple of big hits.”

While it was a disappointing ending for the Zephyrs, O’Boyle said that it was good to get between the lines again and compete. He said that his players got to spend time with one another as they prepared for the tourney, and the routine of baseball brought them some relief from a stressful few months.

“It was good to see them playing baseball again,” said O’Boyle.

He’s hopeful that they’ll be able to play fall baseball, and is looking forward to having baseball back. He’s all ready excited about next season as they return a talented core of returning players, along with a promising mix of young players who should once again compete for a district title.