Plum baseball battling toward playoff berth in Section 1-5A

By: Michael Love
Saturday, April 20, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Purchase Photo Options

Carl Vollmer was quick to extol the virtues of baseball games in Section 1-5A, one that is filled with close, natural rivalries.

The veteran Plum coach said that with matchups against Franklin Regional, Penn-Trafford, Penn Hills, Fox Chapel, Gateway and Armstrong, there will be the highs of big wins and the lows of tough losses.

Either way, he said, the section is getting his team ready for what everyone in the program hopes is a WPIAL playoff appearance and a strong postseason run.

“The kids love it,” Vollmer said. “These kids grew up playing with and against each other. It makes the high school season more exciting and competitive. … There is a lot of strategy in these games. It definitely prepares us for whatever we might face down the road.”

Lessons, Vollmer said, were learned in a tough section series with Penn-Trafford on April 8 and 9.

Plum went extra innings with the Warriors in Game 1 at Plum High School before falling 3-2.

The next day, Penn-Trafford defended its home field with an 8-0 shutout of the Mustangs.

“The second game, I think, was an emotional hangover from the night before,” Vollmer said. “It was a real quick turnaround. The first game was at night, and then we came back and played them in the afternoon the next day. The extra-inning game was a heartbreaker for us. It was tough to bounce back emotionally.”

Plum had five days to get back on track before a series with Penn Hills, and Vollmer said his players eventually got themselves in the right mindset to respond in the home-and-home series with the Indians.

“It did take us a couple of days to get right, and that is something we have to work on,” Voll­mer said.

Plum responded fully with two games against Penn Hills that ended after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.

Plum’s wins over Penn Hills helped it improve to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in the section.

“Penn Hills made us earn what we got,” Vollmer said. “I was proud of the guys. It helped put us in a better mindset moving forward in the section and overall. We have to keep maturing as a group. That is 5A baseball, and we’re in a tough section.”

Plum was slated to face Gateway in a section series Monday and Tuesday. The Gators scuffled to an 0-5 section mark before routing Armstrong, 11-1, last Tuesday in the second game of that two-game set.

The Mustangs now turn their attention to a section series April 29 and 30 against rival Franklin Regional. Game 1 at Plum is 7 p.m. with Game 2 at 4 p.m. at Haymaker Field in Murrysville.

The Panthers split with Fox Chapel last Monday and Tuesday (April 15 and 16) and entered a series this week against Armstrong 7-4 overall and 5-1 in the section.

“They are always a strong, well-prepared team,” Vollmer said. “They were on a bit of a roll before they lost. Our guys and their guys played together over the summer and we played in the fall, so there is a lot of knowledge out there. … It goes deep, and they’re right next door. It is a series both teams look forward to each year.”

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.

Tags: Plum