Whitehall rode Joe Lisicky’s gutsy performance on the mound against Palmerton, paving the way for The Zephyrs second win of the St. Luke’s Lehigh Valley Baseball Tournament, putting them on strong footing to make the round of 16.

Lisicky started the second game for Whitehall at Samuel Balliet Stadium and got off to a rocky start. He allowed three walks to the first four hitters he faced, loading the bases. He had a strikeout mixed in between those walks, and got the next batter to ground shapely to third for the force out at home. Another grounder, this time to second, ended the inning as Lisicky headed to the bench unscathed.

However, walks continued to plague the senior, surrendering two more to begin the second. But he got help by a pitcher’s best friend as the next batter hit into a double play. Another ball on the ground ended the inning for the Bombers.

While his command wasn’t sharp to begin the game, Lisicky battled, keeping the Bombers from crossing the plate even though he had issued five walks over the first two innings.

Lisicky said that he hasn’t thrown to live hitters since he was cleared to resume athletic activities in April after suffering a knee injury in basketball, and felt that nerves played a part in his early struggles. He said what got him through was his mental toughness more so than his physical ability as he kept fighting through the control issues and battling as best he could.

“It was definitely a struggle,” said Lisicky who walked six during his stint.

Head coach Shaun O’Boyle said that Lisicky settled into a groove after the first couple innings, but after throwing 36 pitches in the first inning, he knew it was probably going to be a short night for his ace.

“He battled out of it,” said O’Boyle. “He had a quick third inning. He had some issues with the walks, but he just kept funding a way.”

Lisicky was also fighting a stubborn cap that kept sliding off his head. At first it seemed he may have been reaching back for something extra causing him to lose the cap on the follow-through. He had to constantly catch the hat as it toppled off his head with each throw. However, Lisicky said that it was a new hat, and it just wasn’t being cooperative. In fact, there was a moment he felt like tossing it.

“It was moving all around; it was just awful,” said Lisicky.

Lisicky said that a washing on Monday night will hopefully alleviate that problem.

The Zephyrs got things rolling in the top of the fourth with a walk to Ayden Dunbar followed by a sharp comebacker by Owen Fischl that glanced off the glove of starting pitcher Ryan King. Lisicky followed with an oppo hit, scooting it sharply to right that loaded the bases. Gabe Guzy’s hot grounder wasn’t fielded cleanly at third, plating Dunbar. A wild pitch capped the scoring for the Zephs who led 2-0.

The Bombers trimmed the lead to 2-1, but that’s the closest they got. Whitehall extended their lead to 3-1 in the top of the fifth after Fishl ripped a single to right scoring Shane Fillman.

The Zephyrs continued their attack in the fifth as they got a two-run single off the bat of Jace Duld, scoring Gabe Guzy and Matt Snyder. It capped a five-run inning for the Zephs.

With Lisicky at the designated pitch count as set by tournament rules, O’Boyle looked to the bullpen to bring them in for a landing. However, the Bombers began to chip away as walks continued to affect the pitching staff. O’Boyle reluctantly brought in Zackary Hartman who had closed out the first game. Hartman came through again, closing the door for the 7-5 win.

“He did well,” said O’Boyle. “He was throwing pretty hard, which was good to see.”

Lisicky’s work at the dish has been excellent through the first two games. He’s 3-7 with two doubles and three RBIs. Guzy and Fishl have also been good with the bat, showcasing their talents in the batter’s box that could have put Whitehall back in the 5A championship game.

Lisicky’s success at the plate has been the result of hard work over the last few days in preparation for the tournament. He said that he’s concentrating on seeing the ball and putting the bat on it.

“I’m trying to be as ready as if it’s a regular season game,” said Lisicky.

With the two wins under their belts, Lisicky said that it had been a fun day for the whole team at the park. He’s looking forward to the rest of the tourney as they resume play with a game against Parkland on Wednesday.

O’Boyle said that there were a lot of positives to take from Monday’s games.

“For the most part, I was pretty happy,” said O’Boyle.