The Whitehall baseball team took a step in the right direction toward a district playoff berth with Monday's doubleheader sweep over Nazareth.

The two wins against the Blue Eagles ended a four-game losing streak, and now puts the Zephs firmly in control of their own destiny.

They're currently 9-7, and with four games remaining on their schedule, they'll need to win one of those four to secure a spot. Those include three games against division opponents, each of whom defeated the Zephs in their first meeting, plus powerful St. Peter's Prep from New Jersey.

St. Peter's is currently 17-1, and are ranked 7th in the state according to a New Jersey web-based publication.

While the road isn't easy by any means (all three Eastern Pennsylvania Conference teams sit above the Zephs in the Skyline Division), manager Shaun O'Boyle said his team is ready to face the challenge.

"It's not going to be easy, nonetheless, it's not a bad spot to be in," said O'Boyle.

While that's their immediate goal, they're still in the hunt for one of the five wildcard spots in the EPC. It's not an easy road, and a lot of things would have to fall their way since six teams sit above them in the standings, but they still have an outside shot. However, they would most likely need to sweep their upcoming league games to qualify, and since Parkland is comfortably atop the Skyline Division, they'll need to defeat both Northampton and Emmaus who are also vying for one of those wildcard spots.

The sweep was the shot in the arm the Zephs needed after struggling to score runs against league opponents their last few outings. The first game of the doubleheader was especially sweet since they were able to win the darkness-suspended game from earlier this season.

"We really needed that," said O'Boyle.

However, O'Boyle said that the day didn't start as expected. He believed they were going to wait until the second game to pick up the suspended game, but were told by officials that they'd resume the suspended game first. That left Jake Meyers unable to go through his pre-game routine in preparation for a start.

The two teams picked up the game at 8-8 in the ninth inning, and Meyers didn't let the unexpected news throw him off his game. O'Boyle said he went four strong innings, facing the minimum number of batters to get the win.

O'Boyle said the senior hurler was also operating on four day's rest, another deviation from his routine. However, O'Boyle said he didn't let any of those circumstances effect him.

"He did what a senior should do," said O'Boyle. "It didn't bother him. He did what he always does."

Meyers combined line ended with 10 strikeouts, while not walking a batter in 12 innings of work. The senior answered the bell, putting an end to the losing streak with the help of teammate Zachary Hamscher.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th, Hamsher delivered a sharp single down the left field line for the game-winning run.

O'Boyle said that hit emptied their bench as the players rushed the field in celebration.

"That created a lot of excitement heading into game two," O'Boyle said.

The 9-8 win set the table for the sweep, with Alex Bruneio taking the hill in the nightcap. Bruneio was dominant in that game, striking out 14 Blue Eagles without walking anyone en route to the complete-game victory.

"That's what Alex is capable of when he's on," said O'Boyle. "He was on. He was throwing hard, getting all of his pitches over. A really good performance."

The Zephs also got a clutch performance from Gianni Sinatore who was involved in both run-producing innings for the Zephs, With runners at second and third in the second inning, Sinatore delivered a two-out single, scoring two. He also scored a run in the fifth, reaching on a single, then scampering home after a rushed throw following Matt Dobeck's bunt sailed past the first baseman.

That was all Bruneio needed as he went the distance to record his fourth win of the season. He's also among the team leaders in hitting, batting .353 on the season.

O'Boyle said Bruneio's complete game allows them to set up their pitching rotation as hoped heading into this final stretch.

"That what we really needed," said O'Boyle. "It leaves us in a good situation."

The Zephs have had trouble recently with runners in scoring position. In Friday's 5-3 loss to Pocono Mountain East, they had a couple of opportunities for big innings with bases loaded and no one out. However, those opportunities yielded only two runs, and it's something that O'Boyle would like to see them improve upon heading into the final week. They still need to be selective at the plate, but he wants them to be aggressive on good pitches, something that's hard to impress upon a young team.

"That's been one of our biggest problems, runners in scoring position," said O'Boyle. "In those situations, we need to swing the bat selectively, but aggressively."

Still, Monday's win was the boost the team needed as they look to make a postseason run.

"Hopefully, we can keep it up," said O'Boyle.