Plum softball team hopes 8 returning starters, potent offense can lead to success

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 | 9:18 PM

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The Plum softball team entered the season with a lot of momentum with the return of eight starters from last year’s WPIAL Class 5A playoff qualifier.

All eight of them — seniors Bella Tavella and Dani Pici; juniors Jaiden Gentile, Riley Stephans, Liana Yusko, Mackenzie Marotta, and Gia Tavella; and sophomore Brooke Bernosky — landed on the all-section first or second team or were selected honorable mention.

Along with the returning experience came the belief the offense has the possibility to be potent.

“We are a little bit ahead of where I thought we would be in terms of hitting the ball,” said Plum coach Phil DiLonardo, whose team was 3-1 through an 8-7, nine-inning loss to rival Franklin Regional on Monday.

“We put a lot of work in with hitting over the winter, so I guess I am not too surprised.”

The Mustangs lineup has produced 37 runs through its four games. It tallied 13 runs in a shutout of Chartiers Valley in the season opener March 17, recorded eight in holding off Knoch, 8-7, on March 19 and finished the week with a 9-3 victory over Moon.

“We dedicated ourselves to putting in the work on our hitting, and it is paying off,” said Pici, Plum’s catcher and team co-captain with Bella Tavella.

Pici, a Valley News Dispatch first-team selection and all-section second-team pick last year, batted .397 as a junior with seven doubles, five home runs and a team-best 27 RBIs.

Bella Tavella led the team last year with a .440 average and earned all-section first-team honors with Gentile and Stephans.

“We’re excited for what we can accomplish, especially in the section,” Bella Tavella said.

“We have the ability to win the section if we play each game the way we are capable. We have to have to confidence to go out and do it.

“We have to put in the work every single day. Everyone came in and knew that we all couldn’t just show up and keep our spots. We had to work hard and show we deserved to be on the field again.”

Plum finished 11-7 overall last year and ended third in the section (7-3) behind North Hills (9-1) and Shaler (8-2).

The Mustangs will have to go through the Indians and Titans again if they want to put a “2025” on the section-title banner in the gym.

“It is nice to have a couple of close games going into section play,” DiLonardo said.

“We’re going to have to battle all season. No one is going to give us anything. Our section is very tough again with Shaler, North Hills and Fox Chapel. I don’t know much about Mars and New Castle, but I am sure they’re not going to roll over, either.”

Plum opens section play at Fox Chapel at 3:45 p.m. Thursday. The Foxes, a playoff team last year after securing the fourth-place spot (4-6) in the section, are 4-0 this season. They have also been strong offensively with a combined 43 runs in their four victories.

“I think it’s going to be a tough game, but I think we can come out on top if we continue to hit the way we have been and our defense makes plays,” Pici said.

Stephans tossed a five-inning perfect game in Plum’s game at Fox Chapel last year. The Mustangs won 11-0.

“They have a nice pitcher (sophomore Jillian Haigh),” DiLonardo said.

“She battled us pretty tough last year. They can hit the ball. It’s not going to be easy. We have to definitely come ready to play and be ready to earn a win.”

Thursday’s game will be the first this season for Gentile, who was cleared Tuesday after missing the scrimmages and four games for health reasons.

“Jaiden is pretty amped up,” DiLonardo said.

“She’s been looking forward to getting back on the field. With her back, it adds to the depth. (Freshman) Lily (DeLuca) has played really well, and it’s hard to take her out of the lineup. This team has really shown its versatility with players moving around to different positions. There are three or four players who can play just about anywhere. That really helps. It’s nice to have that flexibility.”

Marotta got the start against Franklin Regional and went the distance. She also relieved Stephans in the win over Knoch.

Stephans is 3-0 with just five earned runs allowed, 17 strikeouts and 11 hits and eight walks given up over 16 innings this season.

A third-year starter at pitcher, Stephans threw three no-hitters last year and earned a spot on the all-section second team.

“It’s great to have two really good options in the circle,” DiLonardo said.

“It helps down the line to where you aren’t relying on one person. I expect both to see a lot of time in the circle.”

Plum rallied from a 7-3 deficit to FR on Monday with two runs in the fifth and single runs in the sixth and seventh to force extra innings.

The teams combined for 27 hits — Plum 14 and FR 13 — over the eight-plus innings.

“This team has a lot of fight,” DiLonardo said.

“We really showed that against Franklin Regional. You don’t always have to win to see positive things. We could’ve just laid down and lost that game by more than four runs. Going into that game, knowing past matchups with them, we expected it was going to come down to who had the last at bat, and it turned out that it did. We made a few mistakes that hurt us. We also had some balls in different innings that I thought were going to fall in but didn’t. Credit their defense for making some nice plays.”

DeLuca (second base) went 2 of 5 with a double and an RBI against the Panthers, while sophomore Sydney Pici (right field) drew a walk and drove in a run in the starting lineup.

“I think a lot of the new girls have really fit in with the older players,” Bella Tavella said.

“Lily has been hitting great since the beginning of the season. She’s had home runs and multiple hits in games for us. Sydney is a great right fielder, and she can make plays. She’s also a good hitter. They came up ready to be in the starting lineup, and they responded on the field.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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