After a 10-1 loss to Northampton in an East Penn Conference (EPC) quarterfinal playoff game, Whitehall head softball coach Jeff Vivian didn’t have a good feeling about his club.

Vivian did like the direction of his team after they ended the regular season with a 14-6 record, winning four of their last five games.

It was all centered on one element.

“I thought at the end of the season we were making strides,” stressed Vivian. “The league playoffs didn’t go the way we wanted and it’s not a talent issue. It’s an effort issue.

“Our effort to finish plays on the defensive side has to get better. Our effort at the plate to join the fight has to be better. We just didn’t get any clutch hits with runners on base. Defensively we just didn’t finish plays.”

In the Northampton loss, Vivian cited some specifics.

“A passed ball on strike three, the first batter of the game...ended up in a run,” noted Vivian. “A fly ball that hits the temporary fence...we watch it instead of making a catch. A couple flares that we should have had, but we are running with the ball instead of getting there early. These are all things we practice but the effort just isn’t there.”

So, the Zephyrs will wait until district play begins next week to redeem themselves. They are the sixth seed in the district Class 6A bracket, and they will likely meet Stroudsburg.

On the mound, Morgan Laub is 7-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 88 strikeouts; Jillian Pagan is 4-0, 0.93, and 47 strikeouts; and Ari Casey is 2-0, 0.00, nine strikeouts.

Among the leading hitters are Laub also leads the team with a .467 average along with her 15 RBI, two doubles, and two triples; Amya Espinal, .354, one home run, 17 RBIs, five doubles, one triple; Julia Schell, .333, nine RBIs, three doubles; and Molly McFetridge, .333, 14 RBIs, four doubles, one triple.

Laub, a senior, is playing her part, and she is confident the Zephyrs will have a successful playoff run.

“There are some really good teams in the league right now, but we are continuing to plug along and look for our signature win,” said Laub. “We continue to work hard at practice each and every day.

“I hope we are peaking at the right time. We’ve had some tough games but we hope to reverse some of the scores when we see certain teams again in the playoffs. There has been a ton of improvement with some of our younger players who stepped into a big role this year. I am doing my best to keep us in games and give us an opportunity to win.”

Vivian hopes his team will take the initiative in the postseason. He plans to play his role.

“Winning teams push the pace of the game, but we hesitate,” said Vivian. “We wait for someone else. Ultimately, this comes down to coaching.

“Coaching gets that effort to come out, and we just have not gotten on the same page. We have about one week and a half to get prepared. We are looking to get a scrimmage in just to keep pace. We will also intrasquad at some point to really get some things accomplished.”