Shragher homers, Gwynedd Mercy shuts out Lansdale Catholic

LANSDALE — Battling Lansdale Catholic ace Ashley Seal in the top of the first inning, Gwynedd Mercy leadoff Christina Shragher saw a low pitch she liked and cranked it, smacking it over the left-field fence for a quick 1-0 Monarch lead.

“It was a really good way to start things off,’ Shragher said with a smile afterwards.

The sophomore got the Monarchs going and they never stopped, as GMA racked up 13 hits en route to an impressive 7-0 non-league win over perennial power LC Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s a really big win. I think if we play the way we did today,’ Shragher said, “we could go pretty far.’

The young Monarchs, who were eighth in District One 1-AAA power rankings going into the contest, improved their playoff chances, lifting their record to 8-8, with a Catholic Academies League game next up today, at home, against Merion Mercy.

“We’re finally getting it together,’ Monarchs coach Charlie Ball said. “LC’s a good team. Seal’s a good pitcher. And we just came together.’

Shragher followed up her home run in the first by drawing a walk in the top of the third. Later, with two outs, Alyssa Myers singled to left, driving in Shragher to increase the GMA lead to 2-0.

A pattern had been set, as Shragher would go on to reach home a total of four times and Myers, the No. 3 hitter, knocked in four runs.

Monarchs right hander Anna Gillespie protected the GMA lead, pitching her way out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth.

“That’s senior experience,’ Ball said. “She’s really come up big in a couple of games for us.’

Gwynedd broke the game open in the fifth.

Myers, Gillespie and Emily Early all connected for doubles and Gabbie Salamone added a single as the Monarchs stretched the margin to 6-0. Shragher doubled and was driven in by Myers to make it 7-0 in the sixth.

GMA had committed several costly errors in a loss to Villa Maria on Tuesday but followed that up with a solid defensive performance on Wednesday.

The Crusaders (8-9), who left 11 runners stranded, aim for better results Thursday when they host Philadelphia Catholic League rival Little Flower.

“I just think it was a bad game for us,’ LC coach Paul Suder said. “Everybody’s entitled to have one, and we definitely had one. Maybe it was a little bit of an emotional letdown after (Tuesday’s) 3-2 loss to (PCL rival) St. Hubert’s. I’m hoping that we just came out flat, played a flat game.’