Is Whitehall’s win over Emmaus a sign of things to come?
Whitehall High’s softball team has had its share of heartbreak at Allentown’s Patriots Park over the years.
In 2016, Parkland rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Whitehall 3-2 for the District 11 6A title. In 2019, Parkland blanked the Zephyrs 6-0 in another district final, and last year, Whitehall was one out away from beating Northampton in the league semifinals but lost 3-2, and then lost again to the Konkrete Kids in a 5-4 thriller in the District 11 6A championship game.
Despite having a lot of talent and always being in contention, Whitehall hasn’t won a championship since a district gold in 2009 and even that accomplishment was soon overshadowed by Parkland winning a state title a few weeks later.
But maybe Whitehall’s luck at Pates Park is changing.
On Saturday night, in what probably ranks as the game of the year so far in local softball, Whitehall came up with five runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Emmaus 9-6 in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference classic that had all the feel of the postseason.
Freshman Bella Muth hit a grand slam to give the Zephyrs their biggest win of the season in a game in which Whitehall had to rally three times after trailing 1-0, 4-2 and 6-4.
The comeback win avenged a previous nine-inning loss to Emmaus. More than that, it had to be a boost mentally for a program that has had trouble winning close ones on the sport’s biggest stage.
“You didn’t have to pay anything to get in here tonight, but boy, you probably should have,” first-year Zephyrs coach Jeff Vivian said. “Hats off to Emmaus because they are a really tough team. We both fought hard, but I am so proud of my girls because they never gave up. It was a great game all the way around.”
Vivian, who played college baseball at Alvernia, had been part of the coaching staff for four years under previous coach Blake Morgan.
“I love being around the girls and it’s great for me to have Ed Stinner, the walking encyclopedia for high school softball, being around our team,” Vivian said. “He brings the structure to it and we try to let the girls put their personality into this and that’s what makes it so much fun. You can see they don’t want to give up. They want to fight and that’s awesome and fun. I mean it’s a Saturday night and what else would you rather be doing?”
In addition to the grand slam, Muth had a bases-loaded walk and laid down an important sacrifice bunt. Kate Yadush had two hits and two RBIs and winning pitcher Kassy Aquino also knocked in a run in the back-and-forth game.
Mason Roselli had two hits and two RBIs for Emmaus and Lindsey Moreau hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh that gave the Green Hornets a 4-2 lead.
Emmaus ace pitcher Danika Barthol and Aquino each tossed five scoreless innings before the offenses started to catch up. Barthol was at 160 pitches when Green Hornets coach Rich Giering decided that was enough and made a change for the ninth.
“When I opened up the gate to the bench after the eighth inning I told her that was it,” Giering said. “She’s a great competitor and would never want to come out, but you’ve got to look at the health of the girls. We gave up two walks to start the ninth and that set the stage for them. I’d rather if they hit the ball to get on base. It’s a tough loss, but, hey, we’re still 14-3. A lot of teams would like to be in our shoes.”
Giering said the team’s goal is to be back at Pates Park for the league semifinals and finals that will culminate May 19.
“We want to play here in the championship games and this one is no biggie,” he said. “We’ve just got to go back to work.”
The same attitude applies for Whitehall, which hasn’t won a league title since 1989. Vivian said he learned a lot from Morgan as well as former assistant Kyle Stinner, who is now at Lehigh.
“I’m still learning from our other coaches like Ed, Sam Molitoris, Kevin Hutter, Taylor Knappenberger and we’re trying to piece things together with this team to get the right mix,” Vivian said. “With Blake, we tried to avoid looking at long term and tried to look at the little successes we’re having along the way and that’s the same approach I’ve taken. The girls have had a couple of light-switch games where they realize if they just focus on winning an at-bat, winning an inning, it can lead to success.”
Vivian said the final chapter of the 2022 Zephyrs has yet to be written after Whitehall graduated seven seniors from last year’s 21-5 team.
“We’re writing a book here and each game is a chapter and each inning is a page in that chapter,” he said. “We get to control our story. Our hard work and preparation will write that story and these girls have bought into that. They come to practice with smiles on their face and they want to be there. As a coach, that’s such a great feeling.”
College corner
Lehigh-Carbon Community College freshman and Palmerton grad Megan Green, who was last year’s Morning Call co-offensive player of the year, was recently named an Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Conference player of the week. She helped her team go 5-0 by going 10-for-16 with nine runs, eight RBIs, two doubles, two triples and two home runs. She was hitting .625 and was ranked among the nation’s leaders in home runs (6) and slugging percentage (1.167).
Sign language
Several seniors have either had signing ceremonies at their schools or have them scheduled to salute them for deciding to continue their careers at the collegiate level. Among them:
Emmaus: Brooke Huczko (Elizabethtown), Sarah Sherman (Mansfield); Northampton: Devyn Demchak (Drexel), Rilee Ehrlacher (Shippensburg), Taylor Kranzley (Bloomsburg); Southern Lehigh: Morgan Benner (Kutztown).
Streak snapper
Parkland had an eight-game win streak snapped Saturday afternoon with a 4-3 nonleague loss at perennial District 2 powerhouse Tunkahannock, which reached the Class 4A state final last year.
The Trojans got home runs from Cassidy Sweeney, and Evelyn Montone had a 3-2 lead entering the bottom of the sixth, but Tunkhannock also hit a pair of home runs and got the game-winning single from Ella McNeff in the seventh.
Parkland has two big games this week, hosting Northampton on Tuesday and traveling to Emmaus on Thursday.
Player of the Week
Delaney Troxell, Catasauqua A few years ago, Catasauqua needed to recruit players just to have enough bodies to field a team. These days, the Rough Riders are winning games and are competitive in their other contests. One of the big reasons the program is on on the rise is sophomore Delaney Troxell.
Last week, Troxell went 6-for12 with a double, two home runs and four runs scored, while in the pitching circle she had 28 strikeouts in four games.
Her best performance came in a 5-0 win over Salisbury when she tossed a 4-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts and also had a double, RBI and run scored offensively.
“Delaney is one of the most dedicated, passionate players I have ever had a chance to coach or even play with,” Catty coach Paige Kogelman said. “She is a natural leader on both sides of the ball. Though her main role is in the circle, she has the potential to excel in any position on the field. She threw a perfect game in our win over Panther Valley, a top accomplishment for a pitcher at any level. She is an asset to our team.”
Softball’s Top 10
Rank, Team, Record, Last time
1. Northampton, 14-1, 1
2. Parkland, 12-4, 3
3. Whitehall, 12-3, 4
4. Emmaus, 14-3, 2
5. So. Lehigh, 12-2, 5
6. NW Lehigh, 12-2, 6
7. Beth. Cath., 12-3, 7
8. Palmerton, 12-5, 8
9. Stroudsburg, 11-4, 9
10. Freedom, 8-7, NR
Dropped; Nazareth (10-6).
Others to watch: Bangor (11-5), Easton (8-7), Palisades (6-6), Pen Argyl (9-4).