PLYMOUTH – Postseason wins have been very scarce for John Glenn High School’s softball program so to beat Plymouth 4-2 Monday in Centennial Park and advance to a 3A sectional championship game was a pretty sweet feeling for the Falcons.

After falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first inning, Glenn plated three runs and added an insurance tally in the bottom of the fifth to win its opening-round game and now get a matchup with South Bend St. Joseph in the title game at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Huskies defeated Mishawaka Marian 7-1 in their opener Monday.

“John Glenn hasn’t won very many sectional games,” said Glenn head coach Brian Laskowski, whose team avenged an earlier season 7-4 loss to the Pilgrims. “In fact I believe this is only the third sectional game in history that they’ve won so it’s really big for our program.

“It was awesome. That was really good for the girls, really good for the team and for our program.”

“I’ve got a senior on the team and we have two other seniors and I’ve coached some of the girls since t-ball so this is a big step for them,” he added. “We played all season long looking forward to the tournament and Plymouth got us at home a few weeks ago so I had some hungry girls today.”

The 13-12 Falcons got a solid pitching performance by senior McKenzie Timm and a big extra base hit from junior shortstop Payton Thomas – T&T if you will – to advance.

After the first inning where she allowed Plymouth’s only two runs and a pair of their four hits total, Timm really settled down. She struck out seven and walked two (both in the first inning).

At one point in the game, Timm mowed down 11 straight Pilgrim batters.

“Timm pitched another amazing game,” Laskowski said. “It takes her a while to get settled in. She’s been that way for years, but then she gets in a groove.”

Thomas has swung a powerful stick all season and didn’t waste any time flexing her muscles in this one.

In the first inning, she crushed a pitch from Plymouth starter Gracie Patrick to left field. When it first left her bat, it looked like it would leave the yard, but it didn’t, hitting off the fence. Thomas’ double scored both Makinzie Kline and Sophia Lizzi, who walked and single to lead off the game. Thomas would later score on Addison Manering’s single up the middle.

“Thomas is next level,” Laskowski said. “She’s dangerous with the bat in her hands.”

The Pilgrims’ 2-0 lead was quickly gone as the Falcons, the home team on the scoreboard, scored three in the first frame.

Patrick settled in, too, after the first inning.

The sophomore faced the minimum six batters in the next two innings and got out of a jam in the fourth when Glenn stranded a pair of runners in scoring position.

Glenn did add a big run in the bottom of the fifth.

With one out, Lizzi walked and Thomas followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Then senior first baseman Makayla Laskowski hit a grounder to second that was booted and allowed Lizzi to score to make it 4-2.

In the top of the seventh, Timm struck out the first two batters she faced. Pilgrim sophomore catcher Kyndall Marcum kept hope alive with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Busse followed with a grounder to third and was out on a bang-bang play to end the game.

Plymouth’s season comes to an end as it finishes the year with a 12-12 record.

Class 3A Sectional 19 semifinals

Plymouth 200 000 0 – 2 4 1

Glenn      300 010 x – 4 6 0

WP: McKenzie Timm (catcher Rory Winchell)

LP: Gracie Patrick (catcher Kyndall Marcum

2B: Payton Thomas (G), Haylee Busse (P)

Records: Glenn (13-12), Plymouth (12-12)