Winning 20 games isn’t an assurance of winning a league or district title.

Whitehall’s softball team recently discovered the fact. The Zephyrs’ 20-win season ended in a 7-6 loss to Pocono Mountain in the District 11 Class 5A final this past June.

Despite the defeat, it was a star-studded season for the Zephyrs, who stormed out to an 11-0 start before they were defeated by Pine Grove. However, they stumbled in their third meeting of the season against Northampton, as the Konkrete Kids rallied from a 5-0 deficit and rallied for a 9-5 victory in a league playoff game.

Against Pocono Mountain East, the Zephyrs stormed out to a 6-2 lead, but they couldn’t close the door.

Head coach Jeff Vivian can appreciate his team’s overall season, but he is aware of the drawbacks.

“Anytime you win 20 games, it’s a successful season,” said Vivian. “We just didn’t win those games at the right time. Our Achilles’ heel all year was our ability to make adjustments.

“We got stuck in our ways, and we couldn’t make the adjustments that we needed to do.”

Vivian credited his senior group of Kassy Aquino, Hailey Bartosh, Emma Bonshak, Mya Frana, and Jess Spanitz for their leadership as well as being one of the winningest groups ever in the program. The group also helped guide the team to three district finals as well as win more than 60 games.

Aquino, who finished the year with a 13-4 record and a 3.83 ERA as well as a .358 batting average and 21 RBIs, certainly enjoyed the ride. She will continue her playing career at St. Peter’s College.

Along with Aquino, Brown hit a team-high .389 and Aubrey Steiner hit .385. Bartosh had a team-high 26 RBIs, and Kate Yadush had a team-high 32 hits.

“I really don’t have any words for this team,” said Aquino. “Being there for four years has been everything for me. You know the ups and downs knowing that my teammates had my back is all that I can really ask for. You know sometimes you do make mistakes and errors, and you know we couldn’t get out of it, but we didn’t stop trying.

“I know it is difficult, and we just wanted to play our game. We played with our hearts and with guts and that’s what coach asked of us. Even though we did lose in the championship, we still made history and we defied the odds that were against us. I think coach Vivian will be happy because we left the program in better shape. I was very proud to call myself a Zephyr, and be a part of this program.”