With an eye toward making the league playoffs, the Whitehall boys baseball team keeps racking up wins as they approach a big showdown with Parkland High School that will most likely have first place in their division at stake.

Teams never like to look ahead, and the Zephs have to play William Allen and Pocono Mountain East High Schools before their meeting with the Trojans, but the implications of that game carry significant weight as they look to avenge an earlier loss when the two teams meet this Saturday at Coca-Cola Park for the annual Lehigh Valley Conference Play-Day.

With the Zephs record currently at 7-2, and the Trojans, 6-2, the game will put the winner atop the division, barring any losses before the meeting. However, no matter the outcome, the Zephyrs will still have the upper hand in making the LVC playoffs since they lead the rest of the conference by at least a game.

Still, that doesn't concern manager Shaun O'Boyle right now. He has to get ready for the Canaries on Wednesday.

"Right now we have to win our league games and that's all we can focus on," said O'Boyle.

In fact, that's precisely what the Zephyrs are doing. The Zephs are currently riding a seven-game winning streak, their latest a 9-2 victory over Allentown Central Catholic. In that game, Matthew Hassick took the mound, going 5 2/3 innings to get the win, said O'Boyle. The lefty didn't allow a run during his stint on the hill, and consistently pounded the strike zone over that span.

"He threw well," said O'Boyle. "He comes out throwing strikes and he only walked one batter.

"He put the ball in play and we played very good defense behind him."

O'Boyle said that Hassick is a ground ball pitcher, and that's what he needs to continue to do to be successful. If he stays within that framework, O'Boyle believes the senior will reap the rewards in the win column.

"If he throws strikes, and we play good defense behind him, he'll be tough to beat," said O'Boyle.

Hassick and freshman Alexander Bruneio have become important pieces in the Zephyr pitching staff. O'Boyle said that Bruneio has been thrown into some pressure situations, notably a bases-loaded appearance against Freedom High School that resulted in an inning-ending pop out that helped the Zephs prevent further damage, allowing them to come back and win the game.

O'Boyle said that he's been unflappable, both on the mound and at the plate. In addition to pitching under pressure, the lefty's been able to swing a hot bat, averaging above .300, despite seeing a string of southpaws, according to O'Boyle.

"It doesn't look like anything bothers him," said O'Boyle.

Tyler Kline has also been part of that mix that gives the Zephs a strong staff that includes Jeff Charles and Jake Meyers, the two workhorses of their rotation.

In the win against the Vikings, the bottom of the order proved to be the big catalyst as their eight and nine hitters were a combined 6-8 against the Viking hurlers. Those sizzling sticks belonged to Bruneio who was 3-4, scoring three runs, and R.J. Yost who went 3-4 as well, knocking in three runs.

O'Boyle said the bottom of the order has been contributing all season, and lately they've been scorching hot, helping the Zephs maintain their winning streak.

In a prior game against Dieruff, Charles was 2-2 with a double and three RBIs, helping them to a 15-0 win over the Huskies. Meyers was also 2-2, knocking in three runs, while Tyler Cyriax drove in a pair of runs and Matt Melosky stroked a double, producing an RBI.

With a big game slated for Saturday, O'Boyle wants his team keep focused on winning.

"That's all we can do," he said. "We can't worry what other teams do, it doesn't matter."