Six decent-sized steps proved to be greater than one giant leap during Wednesday afternoon’s entertaining softball game between cross-campus rivals Plymouth and Salem.

The host Rocks exploded for seven runs in their half of the second inning to seize a 7-3 lead, however, the Wildcats chipped away with either one or two runs in four of the final five innings to earn a thrilling 9-7 victory.

Plymouth, which plated runs in all but the second frame, remained unbeaten (3-0) with the win while the Rocks slipped to 3-1.

“I tell my team every day that the key to winning is trying to score in every inning, and that proved true today,” said Plymouth coach Val Canfield. “I thought we hit phenomenally and executed when we needed to get bunts down and moved runners along.”

While disappointed with her team’s first setback of the spring, Salem coach Bonnie Southerland was encouraged by her team’s effort.

“I was very pleased with the way the girls came out swinging the bat — I thought everybody was swinging hard,” said Southerland. “We had a couple hard-hit balls to the outfield — two by Heidi Schmidt — that Plymouth made good plays on.

“We have four freshmen who start in the infield, so we’re very young and going to get better.”

Meghan Patterson earned the win on the mound for the Wildcats after relieving starter Ally Ciotti in the middle of the Rocks’ seven-run second.

After yielding four straight baserunners upon entering the game, Patterson settled down and shut the door on the Rocks the rest of the way.

“It was nice to see Meghan get back into her groove,” said Canfield.

Plymouth grabbed a 2-0 first-inning lead on an RBI single by Amy Bondy and RBI double off the bat of Stacey Klonowski.

The Wildcats padded their advantage to 3-0 in the top of the second when Ciotti singled and eventually scored on Bondy’s bunt single.

Salem erupted for a seven-spot in the second thanks in large part to Schmidt’s bases-loaded triple. Lizzy Mazorowicz and Liz McLoud also contributed RBI in the big inning.

The Wildcats clawed back with one in the third, two in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the seventh to win it.

The big blow for the winners was Amanda Burnard’s two-run home run over the center-field fence with one out in the fourth.

Salem freshman pitcher Briana Lee nearly pulled a Houdini and escaped a seventh-inning jam when she struck out Klonowski with one out and runners on second and third. However, two infield errors allowed the two winning runs to cross.

Multiple-hit performers for the Wildcats were Bondy, Klonowski, Burnard, Patterson and Giordano, who sparked the seventh-inning rally with a long double to center.

Emily Pitcole and Mary Johnson both drilled a pair of hits for the Rocks.