O’HARA TOWNSHIP — Plum didn’t let Fox Chapel break out the brooms in a Section 1-5A softball clash Friday afternoon at Fox Chapel High School.
Senior Riley Stephans allowed two hits and struck out eight, and the Mustangs had six hits of their own in a 6-1 victory that pushed Plum (7-2, 5-2) into sole possession of second place in the section behind Shaler (7-0).
The Mustangs reversed their fortunes from a 5-0 loss to Fox Chapel on March 25.
“It was a really nice team win,” Plum coach Phil DiLonardo said. “We had contributions up and down the lineup. Riley pitched a fantastic game.”
Plum hopes to carry momentum from Friday’s win and an overall four-game winning streak into Monday’s game against Shaler, a rematch of a 4-0 Titans win from March 27.
“It was a nice rebound game from the first time. Fox Chapel really took it to us in the first game,” DiLonardo said.
“This time, we got them. It’s been that way for the last couple of years. It’s been a pretty even series and a nice rivalry. This was a great game to get going into Shaler. We will have to play our best Monday just like we did today and see what happens.”
Fox Chapel coach Larry Troutman said his team, 7-3 overall, 4-3 in the section, has a little bit of work to do before its next game, a road contest Monday at Penn Hills.
“We have to fix some mistakes,” Troutman said. “The Shaler game (1-0 loss Wednesday) really got us confident, but this game put us down a peg or two. We have to work hard to get ready to for Penn Hills on Monday.”
Fox Chapel was dealt an early double blow as Plum scored two runs in the second inning, and freshman starting pitcher Lexi Stabile twisted her right knee while fielding a grounder in the inning.
She finished the inning but left the game to seek treatment from the Fox Chapel trainer. Stabile, who fired a one-hitter in the first meeting with Plum and allowed just four hits in the loss to Shaler on Wednesday, struck out one and walked three in her two innings of work.
Lily Deluca led off the Mustangs’ second with a single, and Brooke Bernosky followed with a walk. Both advanced on a passed ball.
Deluca came home on a groundout from Sydney Pici, and Bernosky beat a throw home from Stabile on the aforementioned grounder off the bat of Abbey Leff.
Deluca later doubled to finish 2 for 4.
“You could feel that we wanted that game more,” Deluca said. “It really helped in the section, and it also was a good win for our placing in the playoffs.”
Plum added to its lead in the third as Stephans belted a one-out offering from reliever Jillian Haigh over the left-center field fence to make it 3-1.
The Mustangs sent eight batters to the plate in the top of the seven and added three runs. Jaiden Gentile had a big hit in the inning with a bases-loaded two-run single. Mackenzie Marotta also brought in a run in the inning on a fielder’s choice.
The bottom of the order got things started with one out as Leff, the No. 8 hitter, delivered an infield single, and No. 9 Gia Tavella reached on an infield error.
“A 6-1 lead is better than a 3-1 lead,” DiLonardo said. “I always tell the girls that you can never have enough runs because you just never know. That is why (Leff and Tavella) are where they are in the lineup. They do really well in those spots and get us to the top of the order. That definitely led to a big inning.”
Haigh, a starter in the circle last year for Fox Chapel, gave up five hits and a walk. None of the Plum runs in the seventh were earned.
“Jillian came in and pitched well,” Troutman said. “The problem was that we just didn’t hit the ball. Riley Stephans was the difference. We just couldn’t get a solid bat on the ball. We didn’t get much to the outfield other than the first inning.
“We were disappointed when Lexi went down, but we believe in all of our pitchers. Jillian has that experience.”
Fox Chapel got on the board first in the bottom of the first as Summer Burkhart tripled off of Stephans with one out and scored when a grounder from Haigh was misplayed by Bernosky at first.
Stephans shook off the early run and retired 16 of the next 17 Foxes batters. The only one in the lineup to reach base in that stretch was Heidi Stiger with a one-out walk in the third.
Haigh was the next to reach base for Fox Chapel with an infield single with two outs in the sixth.
Stephans struck out the side in the seventh to close out the win. In addition to her eight strikeouts, she walked only one batter.
The first-inning error was the only one from the Mustangs defense.
“Everything was working well for Riley today,” DiLonardo said. “I thought she was overpowering a lot of the time, and that is a good Fox Chapel hitting lineup.”