After upset loss, Plum softball turns attention to promising future

By: Michael Love
Saturday, May 22, 2021 | 11:01 AM

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The Plum softball team hoped for a long stay in the playoffs as it kicked off the WPIAL Class 5A tournament against Fox Chapel in the first round May 18 at Gateway.

The Mustangs, the No. 3 seed in the bracket, came into the game winners of nine in a row, and they had just wrapped up the Section 1-5A title.

But the Foxes had other ideas. Plum was limited to one hit by Fox Chapel junior Mackenzie Borkovich, and a two-run rally in the top of the sixth off of Mustangs starter Melanie Meinke was the difference in a 2-0 Fox Chapel victory.

Plum wrapped up its season at 13-4 overall.

“We got beat by a really good pitcher,” Plum coach Phil DiLonardo said. “We only had one hit off her. You’re not going to win many games, especially playoff games, with one hit. Melanie pitched a great game, too.

“Unfortunately, in the playoffs, you get the one chance, and if you don’t produce, you’re gone. It’s not like the regular season where there is another game to look ahead to. We just have to get over that hump in the playoffs.”

It was the second straight early exit for the Mustangs. Two years ago, Plum was seeded second in the Class 5A bracket, and No. 10 West Allegheny scored a 5-4 upset in the quarterfinals.

“I saw a couple of the girls (the next day), and they were feeling a little better,” DiLonardo said. “I think the players get over it a lot quicker than the coaches do sometimes. In time, I know they will be able to look back and appreciate the great things they accomplished this season.”

The game between Plum and Fox Chapel was delayed for about 25 minutes amidst unusual circumstances.

In the bottom of the first, it was determined third base was set too far from home plate by about five feet and second base also needed adjusted. Groundskeepers fixed the base locations, and the game resumed.

Plum senior second baseman Fran Beighley had her team’s only hit of the game, a single in the bottom of the first.

“I thought it was going to be a pretty competitive game, which it turned out to be,” DiLonardo said. “You never know what can happen in the playoffs.”

Meinke, a senior, finished with five hits surrendered and 16 strikeouts. She ended the season with 172 strikeouts in 111 innings over 17 games. She walked just 15 batters.

Sophomore Mackenzie Lang was intentionally walked three times against Fox Chapel. She had developed a reputation for the big hit during the season. She finished with a team-best eight home runs to go along with a team-leading 26 RBIs.

Beighley (.368) and Lang (.348) fronted the team in batting this season, while junior Jaralyn Kincaid and Beighley set the pace with 12 and 11 RBIs, respectively.

DiLonardo said he felt bad for his team which he felt deserved a more positive playoff experience. He said it was especially tough when he talked to the seniors — Beigley and Meinke, along with Jillian Durst, Hannah Blanford and Brooke Kundla.

“That is one of the hardest things you have to do as a coach, saying goodbye in a situation like that,” DiLonardo said.

“I told them that I appreciated what they did all year. They were great leaders and were a big part of back-to-back section championships. They were very upset after the game, and that just shows how much they cared for this team and how dedicated they were to winning.”

DiLonardo said while the sting of the loss still is fresh, he has been able to look to the future. Plum returns a core of players which includes starters in Lang and Kincaid, along with juniors Maura Marston and Ashley Polakovic.

“Myself and one of my assistants were at the (Plum High School) field working the scoreboard and announcing for a playoff game, and we were already talking about next year, with who we have coming back and who’s going to make that jump from junior varsity to varsity,” DiLonardo said.

“There are some big shoes to fill throughout the lineup, but with players like Mackenzie, Maura, Ashley and Jaralyn, that’s a nice nucleus to build around. It just comes down to how we are going to mix and match the parts.”

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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