When Elliot Mortimer made a leaping stab of the baseball to begin the game-ending double play at last week's Lehigh Valley Conference Baseball Championships, his immediate intention was to revel in the moment with battery mate Ryan Bonshak.

However, the senior pitcher never made it that far, getting tackled by another jubilant teammate.

"Before I got there, I got hit from behind by Jeff Charles and that started the dog pile," said Mortimer.

Buried underneath this ecstatic group of Zephyrs was Mortimer who earlier laid the foundation which allowed them to record a little history, becoming the first Whitehall team to win a Lehigh Valley Conference Baseball Championship.

The 5-2 win over Parkland High School was a seminal moment for the team and the program. It marked the first time since 1984 that the team has won a championship, and defeating the Trojans to capture the crown was especially gratifying.

"To win the championship is a great accomplishment," said Mortimer. "But to do it against a division rival is ten times better."

Current manager Shaun O'Boyle said that the 1984 team was skippered by his former coach, Joe Steiner, and when he saw Jacob Meyers grab the throw from Mortimer to conclude the double play and secure the championship, he took a deep breath, savoring the moment at picturesque Hackett Park in Easton.

"It's hard to put into words," said O'Boyle who was honored before the game as the LVC's manager of the year. "It was a feeling that not much else could be better."

His name will now be alongside Steiner's as managers who led Whitehall baseball teams to a championship.

The game began a little shaky for the Zephs. Parkland jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, capitalizing on some pitches early in the count.

However, Mortimer didn't let that start faze him; it was a simple matter of making some adjustments.

"I started locating my off-speed pitches better," said Mortimer who scattered nine hits while walking none in his seven innings of work. "I started to go to the breaking balls to keep them off balance."

O'Boyle said that throwing off-speed pitches in fastball counts is an integral part of Mortimer's success. He attacks the strike zone using deception as a major weapon.

"That just takes the hitter's count away from the hitter," said O'Boyle.

O'Boyle said he isn't afraid to throw it anytime in the count, and will pound the strike zone with consistency.

"That's the sign of a good pitcher," said O'Boyle,

While Parkland may have seized the early momentum, Mortimer was confident his team would rally.

"All season, if we got down, we never gave up," said Mortimer. "We knew if we got a few more runs, our defense will help us out and we can win the game."

And it was Mortimer who sparked the comeback, blooping a single to right in the third that scored Tyler Sweeney. Matt Bonshak also scored on the play, tying the game at 2. The eventually went ahead when Tyler Bridgwood doubled, bringing home Gianni Sinatore.

Being able to solve Trojan starter Gabe Mosser who previously beat them 6-2 on May 9, was another key component in claiming the championship. O'Boyle said they devised a game plan to attack Mosser.

"It was evident what they were doing; they were keeping the ball away us," said O'Boyle. "All we did at practice [leading up to the championship game] was throw the ball outside and they had to hit the other way."

They executed it perfectly with eight of their nine hits going up the middle or the opposite way, according to O'Boyle.

Beneficiaries of that strategy included Meyers who added an RBI double in the fourth, and Zach Delp whose RBI single in the fifth completed the scoring for the Zephs.