Plum homers its way past Trinity for elusive playoff win
MONROEVILLE – Trinity entered the playoffs as arguably the hottest softball team in the WPIAL, but ran into a Plum team that was determined to end a postseason victory drought.
The Mustangs had lost their last seven playoff games, but they slugged their way to ending that streak.
Backed by five home runs, No. 10 Plum defeated No. 7 Trinity, 12-2, in six innings in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs Tuesday afternoon at Gateway High School.
Plum (14-5) won a playoff game for the first time since 2018 and advanced to play No. 2 Thomas Jefferson in Thursday’s quarterfinals. Trinity, which had won eight consecutive games entering the playoffs, finished 17-4.
“It feels good,” Plum coach Phil DiLonardo said. “All three phases, hitting, pitching and defense did well. That was our goal today. We wanted to play well and whatever happened, happened. Good stuff happened today.
Trinity used three pitchers, Maddie Ray, Gabby Humphreys and Elora Friend, but couldn’t slow down a potent Plum offense. Plum entered the playoffs averaging 9.8 runs per game.
Liana Yusko smacked a two-run homer in the top of the fifth to make it 11-2 and in the sixth pinch hitter Ava Bernosky belted a solo blast over center field for Plum’s 12th run.
“We ran into a buzzsaw today,” Trinity coach Shawn Gray said. “They were hitting the ball everywhere today and we couldn’t keep it inside the fences. They are a hard hitting team. We threw the kitchen sink at them and nothing worked.”
The Mustangs raced out to an early seven-run lead.
In the top of the first, Jaiden Gentile reached on a fielder’s choice, Riley Stephans walked and Lily Deluca singled to left field to load the bases with one out, but Ray did her best to limit the damage.
Kenzie Marotta brought home Gentile with a slow groundout to second. Then Ray got Brooke Bernosky to fly out to left field to end the inning.
In the second, the Mustangs broke through with four runs.
Sydney Pici doubled off the top of the wall in right center. Abby Leff followed with a single up the middle that scored Pici.
After Leff’s single, Gray made a change, putting Humphreys at pitcher and moved Ray to first base.
Gia Tavella reached on an error and Yusko followed with a two-run double to centerfield to make it 4-0.
Yusko later scored on a groundout by DeLuca.
The Mustangs struck for two more runs in the third. Bernosky led off with a walk and Pici belted a two-run homer over the centerfield fence.
After the homer, Humphreys was lifted for Friend, who retired three in a row to end the frame.
“I figured we’d try to change up the speeds and look at location to slow down the offense, but unfortunately they had an answer for everything we threw at them,” Gray said about swapping pitchers. “They’re a good hitting team.”
Trinity scored its two runs in the bottom of the third. Ally Krenzelak singled up the middle and Friend hit a double to right field that bounced over the wall to put runners on second and third.
Nina Christy scored Krenzelak on a ground out and Friend came home on an error on a ball put in play by Humphreys.
But Plum got those runs right back in the fourth on back-to-back solo homers by Stephans and DeLuca.
Stephans got the win, pitching a four-hitter with two strikeouts. She allowed only four runners to reach scoring position.
“She was pretty dominant today,” DiLonardo said. “That’s the Riley we need going forward. She’s plenty capable of doing that every time she goes out there.”