The Whitehall softball team has put a new twist on Friday night lights.

That setting has been the domain of high school football, but when they met Emmaus under the lights in Coplay on Friday, the drama that unfolded in the seventh inning was worthy of the limelight usually reserved for the gridiron.

Trailing 3-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh, they needed some late-inning heroics to pull the game out and keep their five-game winning streak in tact. It may have seemed improbable given the Hornets gaudy 7-0 record heading into the game, but during that winning streak they faced a similar circumstance when they met William Allen High School. In that game, the Canaries erupted for five runs in the top of the seventh, taking an 8-6 lead over their Eastern Pennsylvania Conference foes.

However, the Zephs didn't flinch even after squandering their 6-3 lead. Instead, they mounted their own rally, putting up three runs with Mackenzie Guzy getting the game-winning RBI.

This time is was senior Abigail Nguyen who answered the bell. She delivered a clutch hit, scoring two runs that dropped the Green Hornets from the ranks of the unbeaten and put the Zephs above .500 for the first time this season.

"Abby was our all-star as the team's designated player, and she showed why," said head coach Alexis Berg-Townsend.

Berg-Townsend said that Nguyen leads the team in several offensive categories but it's her leadership that makes her stand out.

"She's really strong in her senior leadership, and it came through at the plate," said Berg-Townsend.

Nguyen finished the game with three hits and three RBIs.

In addition to Nguyen's Friday night walk-off winner, starting pitcher Kay Solderitch had another strong outing on the mound for the Zephs. She struck out seven to get the win, her fourth of the season. She also shined at the plate, collecting two hits including a double, and also scored two runs to help her cause.

In the Allen game, Guzy was perfect at the plate, going 3-3, including the GWRBI. The Zephs also got strong performances at the plate from Cara Bonshak who went 3-3, while Julia Solderitch was 3-5, including a triple. Additionally, Gabrielle Molitoris had a double to help lead the Zephs to another league win.

Those two wins helped Whitehall climb the ladder in the EPC. They're currently sitting in fourth place, two games behind Northampton who sits in third.

The ability to overcome adversity is the type of performance that Berg-Townsend knew was brewing inside. It just took a while to rise to the surface.

"The girls have stepped up to the challenge," she said. "They're giving it 100 percent every time. You're going to win some, and you're going to lose some, and that's how it is."

Their winning streak was halted by Parkland on Tuesday night as the Trojans won 5-0. In that game, the Zephs were handcuffed by Aubree Fritzinger who tossed a no-hitter against them, striking out five and walking just two en route to the win.

Still, Berg-Townsend knows they have the character to bounce back.

"We still have confidence, and we'll go back out there and begin our next winning streak," she said.