After producing just a pair of singles the first time through the order, No. 2 Plum found a rhythm the second time around and was able to plate all three of its runs to lift the Mustangs past No. 1 Latrobe, 3-1, on Monday afternoon.

“We don’t preach timely hitting. We want consistent hitting,” Plum coach Carl Vollmer said. “(Latrobe pitcher) Cole Short did a great job today, but we preached aggressive play. It worked, and we definitely want to bang out some more hits.”

The opening three innings were quiet for the Wildcats. Ty Wisniewski had a leadoff single in the first but was left stranded at third base. Josh Short was walked in the second inning but quickly erased on a double play.

Plum came alive in the third. Ryan Lafferty led off with a single then stole second, but it looked like another runner would be left on base when Latrobe then recorded consecutive outs. A walk to Timmy Ruggiero kept the inning alive for Max Vollmer, who came through with an RBI single that brought in two runs thanks to an error on the play by Latrobe, giving Plum a 2-0 lead.

The Wildcats quickly responded in the fourth to cut the deficit in half thanks to a run-producing infield single by Joey Crimboli. Ruffner, who had been hit by a pitch and moved to third on a Cole Short double, scored.

Plum restored its two-run edge in the bottom of the inning when Enzo Mele belted a solo homer to left field for a 3-1 lead.

Latrobe had a golden opportunity in the fifth inning when Joe Razza led off with a double then Wisniewski walked with two outs. But Mustangs starter Brayden Kemmerer ended up striking out the side to preserve the two-run lead.

“I’m just calm out there. I’m a pitch-by-pitch guy, and I established the outside fastball,” Kemmerer said. “I could work off that because they didn’t want to hit the outside fastball, so it opened up my other pitches.”

That was when Kemmerer took over, striking out the side in the sixth as well.

“That’s what we’ve come to expect when he locks in,” Vollmer said. “I have a high standard for him. I know what he is capable of. When he stays in line with his body, he can work both sides of the plate, and that’s what you get out of him.”

The Wildcats opened the do-or-die seventh with singles by Crimboli and Razza to knock Kemmerer from the game, but Dom Lauletta pulled through with the save, coming in to get a pair of strikeouts and a groundout.

Plum is now tied with Penn-Trafford atop Section 1-5A with a 9-2 mark. The Warriors defeated Franklin Regional on Monday.

Latrobe dropped to third place at 8-3.

The Mustangs know what’s on the line Tuesday in the series finale against Latrobe, needing a win to capture at least a share of the section crown.

“We have to keep it clean and, hopefully, string together some more hits and slug better,” Vollmer said. “That’s a solid team, and it’s going to be tough, but this is what high school baseball is all about and what makes it so fun.”

As for Latrobe, the Wildcats are now in need of a victory over the Mustangs and a Penn-Trafford loss to Franklin Regional to create a three-way share of the section championship.