Vikings pound out 21 hits in rout of Shanahan
By Bill Rudick
DOWNINGTOWN—If you give a team extra outs, a good hitting team is going to take advantage.
Bishop Shanahan (3-2) struggled with the gloves all day, committing six errors in the first two innings, and eleven over all, and West Chester East (4-1) made good on all those extra at bats. The Vikings pounded out 21 hits on the day, and picked up a 17-2 win in six innings in the Ches-Mont National match-up.
Heading into the season, the Vikings weren’t exactly sure what to expect, having to replace seven starters from last year’s state qualifying squad. Turns out, this team can hit.
“Going back to the beginning of the season, we figured we were going to have to count on our bats,” said coach Bobby Swier. “We’re starting to gel defensively and playing really well as a unit.”
The Vikings wasted no time getting started, with lead-off hitter Mackinzie Thompson reaching on an error. Paige Olson followed, and launched a ball to left. The Eagle’s left fielder was unable to field it cleanly, and Thompson circled the bases with Olson pulling into second with a two base error. Kayla MacLaughlin picked up her first RBI on the day with a single, and scored on a single from Sam Gomez to make it 3-0 after half an inning of play.
East tacked on another five in the second, and two more in the third to chase Shanahan starter Devon Miller.
“I just tried to stay back and keep my eye on the ball,” said MacLaughlin, who finished the day 5 for 5, with a double, two RBI and five runs scored. “For as many new girls coming in this year, it’s amazing how well we’ve meshed already.”
Swier is unsurprised by the start and the performance from MacLaughlin.
“Kayla is just a great competitor,” said Swier. “She works hard and takes a hard-nosed approach to every game and every at bat.”
Also putting together multi-hit games for the Vikings were Olson (3 for 3, 2 2B, 3R); Gomez (3 for 5, 2B); Lark (3 for 5, 2 RBI) and Molly Ahearn (2 for 4, 2 2B).
Amelia Lark has taken over pitching duties after having spent the last couple of seasons patrolling the out, and has been solid, if not over powering. Lark simply throws strikes, and counts on her defense to make the plays behind her. And her teammates certainly did, running down balls in both the outfield and the infield. East committed just one error on the day, and that came in the sixth inning when the game was out of reach.
“We take pride in our defense,” said MacLauglin. “Amelia has been pitching great, so we want her to know we’ve got her back.”
Lark went the distance for the win, allowing two runs on two hits. She didn’t notch a strikeout, but walked one hitter. 
“I like playing different positions and moving around on the field,” said Lark of the adjustment to a new position. “I trust my teammates 100-percent. I know I’m not the kind of pitcher that is going to strike everybody out so the ball is going to be in play almost all of the time. We’re really gelling together as a team.”
Shanahan’s runs came in the fourth on a single from Miranda Bedics and a home run over the center field fence from Miller.
West Chester East 3 5 2 0 2 5—17
Bishop Shanahan 0 0 0 2 0 0 –2
WC EAST AB R H RBI
Thomson—LF 5 3 1 1
Olson—CF 3 3 3 1
MacLaughlin—3B 5 5 5 2
Gomez—C 5 2 3 2
Andraos—SS 5 2 3 1
Lark—P 4 0 2 0
McLaughlin—2B 5 0 1 1
Ahearn—1B 4 1 2 0
Wilson—RF 3 1 1 0
Dudley—PH 1 0 0 0
Francomano—PH 1 0 0 0
Totals 41 17 21 8
Shanahan
Newton—C 2 0 0 0
Bedics—RF 3 1 1 0
Miller—P/SS 3 1 1 1
Weyand—CF 3 0 0 0
McCallister—1B 3 0 0 0
Rosfelder—DP 2 0 0 0
Weston—3B 2 0 0 0
Keiper—LF 2 0 0 0
Sano—SS/P 2 0 0 0
Totals 22 2 2 2
HR—Miller 2B—Olson (2), Ahearn (2) Gomez
Pitching
WC East IP R ER H K BB
Lark (W) 6 2 2 2 0 1
Shanahan
Miller (L) 3 10 3 11 3 0
Sano 3 7 4 10 1 2
