Slugger’s 2-run homer propels Chartiers Valley past Plum in Class 5A 1st round

By: Michael Love
Monday, May 12, 2025 | 9:17 PM

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For Lily Duffill, seven was heaven, but eight is great.

The Chartiers Valley junior catcher and clean-up hitter crushed a two-out, two-run home run – her eighth of the season – in the top of the third inning of a WPIAL Class 5A first-round matchup with Plum on Monday at West Mifflin.

“I knew they weren’t going to give me anything that was to my strengths,” the Penn State commit said. “I knew I just needed to work with what I was given. So I just waited back for the changeup, and I got it.”

Those two runs – senior Delaney O’Connor had walked two batters earlier – turned out to be enough as Colts senior starting pitcher Taylor Walsh and Plum junior starter Riley Stephans matched each other with complete games.

Plum scored a run in the fifth, but Chartiers Valley held on for a 2-1 victory.

“I thought we were going to score more runs, but give credit to Plum and their pitcher,” Duffill said. “(Taylor) really believed in her pitches and the defense behind her, and we all did what we could to get that win.”

Ninth-seeded Chartiers Valley (12-6) now turns its attention to a quarterfinal matchup with No. 1 Penn-Trafford, which defeated Moon in the first round Monday. Dates, times and locations for the quarterfinals had not been determined as of Monday night.

Monday’s game between the Colts and eighth-seeded Mustangs was a rematch of a 13-0 Plum victory from March 17 when Plum hit seven home runs.

“We knew Plum was going to come ready to swing, and we had a game plan to pitch them completely different,” Chartiers Valley coach Chris Lloyd said. “We worked outside last time and worked inside today and were able to hold them down.

“We talked to the girls about being at this field before. We had lost six times in the playoffs here. I told them they got new turf and new lights, and it was a new outcome this time. We had been playing well. We won a close game with Hampton (2-1) last week to help prepare us for this. We could tell from practice yesterday that they were ready to go.”

For Plum, which finishes its season at 14-6, it is another frustrating loss in a series of such defeats in the WPIAL playoffs. The Mustangs lost their seventh straight playoff game dating to 2017.

“It’s always disappointing when you go out (of the playoffs), no matter when it is,” Mustangs coach Phil DiLonardo said. “We played them earlier in the year and won like we did, but I didn’t think it was going to be like that at all this time. I knew it was going to be tight. We had opportunities, and we didn’t cash in.”

Plum left 10 runners on base but managed just three hits. Two of the three hits came in the bottom of the fifth when the Mustangs scored their lone run.

Junior Liana Yusko singled with one out and came home on a sharply hit double down the left field line by senior catcher Dani Pici.

Plum had five runners stranded in scoring position. The Mustangs loaded the bases on a hit batter, an error and a walk in the bottom of the first but weren’t able to score.

They also had something going in what turned out to be their last at-bat.

Sophomore Sydney Pici and Yusko both flew out to start the bottom of the seventh, but Lily DeLuca, a freshman making her playoff debut, kept things alive for Plum with a single. A couple of pitches into the next at-bat, she was caught off first base and had to head to second. A throwing error allowed DeLuca to slide safely into second.

When Dani Pici was intentionally walked, Stephans had opportunity on her bat.

But Walsh threw tight inside, and Stephans fisted a short pop-up that Walsh caught to end the game.

“We were working (Stephans) inside all game,” Lloyd said. “I walked out and told (Walsh) that I was going to put Dani on. I wanted her to work her inside again and get that last out. It was a great pitch.”

DiLonardo said his players had a chance in the bottom of the seventh.

“Even though they got two quick outs, I felt we still were in a good situation to where we would get at least one (run),” he said. “We had those two get on and Riley coming up. Give credit to Walsh, who pitched a great game.”

Walsh struck out six and walked four over seven innings.

Stephans struck out one, walked five and surrendered just four hits. Two of the walks were issued to Duffill, who reached safely in all three of her plate appearances.

The Plum defense turned a pair of standout double plays in the fourth and fifth innings to quell any attempts by Chartiers Valley to add to its lead.

“We played great defense, and Riley pitched a great game,” DiLonardo said. “Duffill hit a ball off her shoe tops, and it went out. What are you gonna do? It was a good pitch and a better hit.”

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.

Tags: Chartiers Valley, Plum