Plum's Baseball Team Wins Big, Clinches Section Title

The Mustangs clinched a tie of the section title with an 8-1 victory over Gateway on Wednesday.  Plum concluded section play with a record of 10-2, equaling Kiski Area, and an overall record of 12-4 on the season.  Christian Suprano and Cory Podvasnik belted home runs to propel the offense, and Anthony Garofalo pitched seven strong innings in the win.  

Plum got on the board in the second inning on Suprano’s three-run blast, which brought in Zachary Williams and Joseph Bailey.  The Mustangs added another three runs in the next inning when Podvasnik’s homer drove in Cory Myers, and Bailey delivered a run-scoring double. Plum finally chased Gateway starting pitcher Luke Kochka in the fifth inning thanks to a balanced attack, as every Mustang starter reached base at least once.   

Garofalo needed little run support, however, as he worked very efficiently, tossing only 78 pitches in his complete game effort. The junior southpaw surrendered only five hits, while walking one batter. Plum Head Coach Carl Vollmer liked what he saw from his pitcher, saying, “Anthony took advantage of them being an aggressive team, and he pitched to the bat.  He was seeing if they would chase, and they helped us out a bit.  He located his fastball well today.”

William Keane excelled for the Gators in the losing effort, as he delivered two hits, and accounted for the only run as he scored on a Kochka groundout in the sixth inning. Keane also struck out four batters in his scoreless relief appearance.

Coming off of a surprising 1-0 defeat at Woodland Hills, Plum rebounded well in all facets of the game. Vollmer emphasized the importance of bouncing back from the loss, saying, “We swung the bats much better today after the hiccup our offense had last game.  We have played good defense lately. We are a much better team now than at the beginning of the season.” 

Vollmer hopes his team continues to improve as the playoffs quickly approach.  The Mustangs host Shaler on Thursday in their regular season finale.