Trib HSSN baseball team of the week:Plum Mustangs
Coaches: Carl Vollmer (20th season)
Records:Plum is 8-2 in Section 1-5A, 11-6 overall
#Earned: Plum helped make a somewhat interesting four-team race for the top spot in Section 1-5A into an extremely interesting race with only two games remaining in the regular season. Franklin Regional began the week tied for the top spot with Penn-Trafford, one game ahead of both Plum and Fox Chapel. While Fox Chapel was sweeping Armstrong, Plum tightened the section title chase with back-to-back wins over Franklin Regional. On Monday, the Mustangs fell behind early, but scored two runs in the second, third and sixth innings to win the opener at home, 7-3. The next day in Murrysville, the Mustangs exploded for nine runs in the fifth inning, and then held on to sweep the Panthers, 12-7.
Standout performers: On the mound Monday, senior Erik Streussnig and junior Michael Tedrick combined on a five-hitter with five strikeouts in the Plum win. Offensively, seniors Sean Franzi and Colin Watson each had two hits and two RBIs. On Tuesday, Watson was the winning pitcher thanks to a 17-hit attack led by Franzi, junior Dan Macioce and senior Domanick Miller, who each had two RBIs. The two wins over Franklin Regional kept Plum’s section championship hopes alive heading into the final section series of the season, a home-and-away clash with the team they are currently tied with for second place, Fox Chapel.
Last year: Plum was in a similar spot in the section race a year ago. The Mustangs had just swept Franklin Regional and had a one-game lead over both Penn-Trafford and Fox Chapel heading into their final section series against the Foxes. The Warriors also swept Franklin Regional while the Mustangs and Foxes split their two-game series, leaving Plum and Penn-Trafford tied for the section crown. The Mustangs defeated Trinity and then South Fayette in the first round and quarterfinals of the WPIAL 5A playoffs before falling to eventual champion Shaler in the district semifinals, 2-0. Plum’s season ended in the WPIAL 5A consolation game when it lost to section rival Penn-Trafford, 3-1.
Remember when: Plum has come close to winning a third WPIAL baseball championship in the last 15 years, but has come up short of the gold. The Mustangs’ first championship took place at Pullman Park in Butler. All-section players such as Tim Organ and Mickey Vincent led the way as Plum defeated Bethel Park, 10-7. Ten years later, the Mustangs raised gold again. Brandon Stewart had three hits while Bryan Hartung and Justin Pifer had two each as Plum rolled past North Catholic in the final at Three Rivers Stadium, 9-2.
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2024 Trib HSSN Baseball Teams of the Week
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