When the going got tough, the Whitehall Zephyrs echoed Coach Jeff Vivian’s words of “character, heart, and guts” with actions and triumphed in their 9-6 victory over the Parkland Trojans on April 6 at Parkland.

“After we had a bad inning and they got three runs on us, we were all pumped to get back, so I guess that helped,” said Whitehall catcher Aubrey Steiner who led off the sixth inning with a triple when the Zephyrs trailed the Trojans, 6-3. “[The pitch] was inside and kind of low, so I was like, I’ve got to watch that, but I just had the energy, and I had to get on base for my team.”

Steiner’s big hit set off a chain reaction during which the Zephyrs scored six runs.

“We were letting [Parkland pitcher Allison Hunsberger] expand our hitting zone throughout the game, and we were too complacent in letting her,” Coach Vivian said, “so my advice to Aubrey was stay within the zone, stay within yourself, and then we’re gonna fight here, and she fought and absolutely delivered.”

Bella Muth followed up with an RBI single to left field, Nya Brown had an RBI single and got to third base on a Parkland error, and Paige Tacker’s base hit in the gap between third and short tied the game, 6-6.

Emma Bonshak was safe on a fielder’s choice, Jess Spanitz, who made a nice backhanded catch later in the game, hit a hard single to left field. With Kate Yadush now up to bat, Bonshak and Spanitz pulled off a double steal, the second in the game for the Zephyrs.

“We like to be aggressive and that opportunity came up and we took advantage of it,” said Vivian.

Yadush was then intentionally walked, and with two outs, the bases were loaded for Kassie Aquino, who belted a 3 RBI double over Addison Seibert’s head in left field.

“I knew, after my two at-bats, that they wanted to get me, and I knew that if they would, I would have to perform my best,” Aquino said. “I saw the ball and just decided to take a rip at it. It felt really nice, you know, I didn’t want to do too much. I just wanted a single right up the middle, and I was on time and got some insurance runs.”

When Whitehall’s dugout emptied in celebration at game’s end, Aquino headed straight for teammate Haley Bartosh who relieved Aquino in the circle in the fifth inning.

“Our coach always tells us there’s heart, character, and guts in it, and as soon as I was gonna be out, Haley had my back and I didn’t have to worry,” said Aquino.

Bartosh took over pitching duties after Parkland took a 6-3 lead with two outs.

With runners on second and third, Parkland designated player Maria Moore hit an RBI single over Bonshak’s head at second base, then got caught in a rundown, which was enough of a distraction for the Trojans to score a second run, and Moore was safe at second base.

Parkland scored its third run of the inning on Anna Bellitieri’s double to center field.

“I knew this was a moment where my team needed me, and I needed to do my job, and I think not only I did my job, but my teammates were backing me up too,” said Bartosh, who forced seven straight outs for the win. “I was throwing a lot of low, outside fastballs, and trying to make them reach.”

Whitehall led 2-0 until the third inning when Parkland went ahead, 3-2, on an RBI by Brenna Zavecz, a Zephyr error, and Addison Fritzinger’s double to left center.

“We weren’t clean, and that’s something we will address at practice,” said Vivian. “It always seems like we have that one inning where a bleeder drops here, a boot there, and we’ll start talking about communication again and righting that ship.”

Bartosh’s double to center field tied the game, 3-3, in the fourth inning, but a dropped ball in the Zephyr outfield opened the door for Parkland’s three-run fifth.

“I told the girls we have way too much character, so I told them to look in my eyes, look in each others’ eyes, and the character, the heart, the guts, we just have too much to lay down and let this happen. That was our motto for [the sixth] inning, and that showed,” said Vivian. “To rattle off that kind of display in hitting, working counts, driving the ball, that’s a character win for us. That’s a character win.”