It all boiled down to the last game of the season for the Whitehall softball team.

Win, and they were in.

When they took the field at home, only William Allen High School stood in their way of a district playoff berth.

And it didn't take the Zephs long to respond to the challenge, scoring five runs in the first inning. They added four more runs in the third, laying the groundwork for an eventual 10-run rule win.

It was a long journey as a young team experienced a lot of bumps along the way. They had to win five out of their last eight games to qualify for the playoffs, and they achieved that goal, finishing the year at 10-10.

Head coach Alexis Berg-Townsend began the season saying that it would take baby steps this year. They weren't going to steamroll through the Lehigh Valley Conference, so they had to make small but important strides from game to game to finally accomplish their goal.

"They kept battling, they never stopped," said head coach Alexis Berg-Townsend. "We lost some tough ones throughout the season, but their main goal this season as a young team was just to make districts."

Berg-Townsend said that they talk about getting hot at the right time, and the latter half of the year saw the Zephs on an upswing. She said they knew what they had to do, it was just a matter of stepping on the field and qualifying.

With only two seniors on the squad, they needed to get experience by playing in a tough division as well as conference. Berg-Townsend felt they grew, battling both Freedom and Northampton down to the wire during their second-half run.

"They definitely matured," Berg-Townsend said. "They've hung in against some good teams, and we've been competitive in almost every single game. We lost a few heartbreakers, and I think with all those incidents, it's really helped this team with their maturity level."

The Zephs now return to the playoffs, a place they've been the last three seasons.

One of those players who has been part of every one of those postseason appearances is Regan Bortz. Bortz and Courtney Dragovits were honored before the game on senior day.

Bortz, a four-year starter, has been an integral part of their success. She handles the pitching staff and is a main cog in their offense, supplying a lot of their run production since she first pulled on the uniform.

Bortz knows a district playoff spot isn't earned overnight. It takes a lot of work.

"The journey was long, and we went through a lot of bumps along the road," said Bortz. "That's the great thing about this team, we get to a bump in the road and we get over it."

Bortz said her role as the catcher and leader is to make sure her pitcher is "on the right track." Part of that is making sure they prepare well, both mentally and physically. She also said that extends to the whole team as they all have to be prepared since good practice habits translate to good play on the field. It's a building block for success.

"Once they get deviated from the system, it's downhill from there," she said.

Berg-Townsend said that Bortz keeps it together from behind the plate. She has the experience, a player who has been through a lot of tough battles since her freshman season.

As for making the districts again, Bortz said it was "pretty cool."

"It's just awesome to get into districts again my senior year," said Bortz.

The game against Allen featured two big innings. In the third, Julia Solderitch doubled to lead things off. The ball initially looked like a routine single, but the shortstop hustled her way to second for the extra-base hit. That was followed by an Allen error that put runners on first and second. After Bortz and Karly Klein flied out, Kay Solderitch walked to load the bases.

That brought up Cara Bonshak who delivered with a clutch two-out hit. Her sharp single to center was destined to bring home at least two runs, but the throw to home was cut off and Bonshak was caught in a rundown. She stayed in the rundown long enough to score the third run, and she was eventually safe at second when the throw was mishandled at the bag.

The scoring ended when Gabrielle Molitoris singled in Bonshak.

Starting pitcher Kay Solderitch only needed one of those runs as she kept Allen off the scoreboard in her four innings of work. The lefty got the win as Taylor Stephens relieved her in the fifth.

With the Zephs up in the bottom of the fifth, they needed just one run to accomplish their mission. And when Stephens delivered the game-winning hit, the bench erupted in delight, running onto the field to begin their celebration.

They were back in the playoffs again.

"They kept battling, they never stopped," said head coach Alexis Berg-Townsend.