Young Plum softball team showing signs of potential with impressive wins

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, April 3, 2024 | 8:20 PM

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The Plum softball team rallied from the first inning on during last Friday’s nonsection home game against Highlands at Plum High School

The Golden Rams led 2-0 after one inning, 4-1 in the third and 6-2 in the fourth.

Despite some adversity, which included an uncharacteristic six errors, the Mustangs were able to complete a comeback.

Plum scored at least one run in each of the final five innings, including one in the bottom of the seventh to break a tie and finish a dramatic 9-8 victory.

It was a victory a number of Mustangs players, as well as coach Phil DiLonardo, said gives the youthful team a sense of confidence to know it is never out of a game.

“I was really happy with the way we fought back after they got up on us earlier in the game,” sophomore second baseman Liana Yusko said. “Everyone was hitting the ball well and putting it in play. We knew that if we just kept playing and kept battling that things would eventually go our way.

“That was a nice win for us. We’re a young team which is still working to get better together.”

Yusko, who finished the game 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles, got the ball rolling toward the game’s winning run as she lifted a ball to right field. A throwing error after the ball was caught got sophomore Jaiden Gentile moving toward third. She kept going and scored the run that ended the game.

“My goal was to get the ball in play and hope to make things happen,” Yusko said. “I felt I could’ve hit the ball better, but I felt I did what I needed to do, and Jaiden was heads up with taking advantage of the error. She is really fast and was confident she could make it.”

The Plum bats, which were limited in a season-opening 5-1 loss to Ligonier Valley, came around in the three wins that followed. Gentile doubled against Highlands and drove in two runs, and junior catcher Dani Pici homered and knocked in three. Sophomore Mackenzie Marotta collected three hits.

An 8-2 win over Franklin Regional two days earlier was a far cry from the 28-19 run-fest the teams engaged in last year.

Plum collected 11 hits, the defense committed no errors and the Mustangs broke the game open with six runs over the final three innings. Gentile went 3 for 4 with a double and a triple, sophomore pitcher Riley Stephans added three hits and two RBIs and Pici collected two hits and three RBIs.

Marotta worked the final four innings against the Panthers to earn the win.

“I like the way we’re competing,” DiLonardo said. “That is a big goal for us: to be competitive all the way around in every game, win, lose or draw.”

First baseman Madeline Wagner is the only senior in the starting lineup.

“We’re still trying to figure things out with such a young lineup,” DiLonardo said. “Even though we had five starters coming back, there were still questions to be answered. We’re starting to get that, but there’s still a ways to go. There are several young, hungry players who continue to make a bid for opportunities in the lineup.”

Mother Nature hasn’t been kind to area baseball and softball teams this week, but Plum, with its field turf surface in the infield and outfield, was able to get outside Tuesday for a nearly two-hour practice to work on some agenda items in advance of games, weather permitting, against Blackhawk on Thursday at home and the Section 1-5A opener Friday at North Hills.

The Indians, 3-1 overall, were section runners-up last year to PIAA finalist Shaler, and Plum took third.

Plum’s home opener last week against Derry was successful on all fronts. The team didn’t commit an error, the offense collected eight hits with power and Stephans didn’t allow a hit and struck out six in five innings of a 10-0 win.

The second through fourth hitters in the Mustangs lineup that game — Yusko, Pici, and Stephans — went 6 for 9 with two doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs and six runs.

Sophomore left fielder Gia Tavella and Gentile also singled in the victory.

“So far, things are going well,” Yusko said. “We still are pretty young, but if we keep focused and keep the energy up throughout each game, we should keep things going in a positive direction.”

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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