West Vigo homers too much for Lakers

West Vigo freshman Carlea Funk was understandably happy about her fifth-inning grand slam — her first high school homer — that shortened both the nonconference high school softball game and her time in the circle Monday evening at Shakamak.

But no happier than one of her teammates.

The Vikings’ 13-1, five-inning win had been started by senior Alex Barnaby, who homered in each of the first two innings as the visitors took a quick 8-0 lead.

Barnaby, who has a batting average of .306 on home runs alone — a state-leading 11 bombs in 36 at-bats — literally didn’t see another pitch the rest of the game, walked intentionally the other two times she came up. While she understands the strategy, she’s not fond of it.

So when she was asked after the game if she’d enjoyed Carlea Funk’s blast, she answered, “I don’t think you understand how much I did . . . with she and Avery Funk hitting behind me, I might actually see some pitches.”

Barnaby batted in the top of the first with Kenzie Rice at third base after a one-out triple. Barnaby hit a line drive to center that looked like a sacrifice fly, except that it kept carrying and cleared the fence.

In the top of the second, West Vigo’s Zoe Boatman reached on a one-out error and scored on a hit by Ashley Dunkin, but Dunkin was still at first with two out. Then Parker Auten was hit by a pitch and Rice singled, driving in Dunkin, sending Auten to third and taking second on the throw to third. That brought up Barnaby with a base open.

The first pitch sailed over the center-field fence again, giving the Vikings a 7-0 lead, and they scored again before the inning ended on consecutive singles by the Funk sisters and Molly Rohrbach.

Barnaby came up with two out and runners at second and third in the third inning, and was sent to first base — and stayed there when the next batter was retired. The Vikings’ 8-0 lead hadn’t changed going into the fifth inning, but Auten was hit by a pitch again, Rice reached on an error and Barnaby came up with one out and runners at first and second. Again she was walked, and there were two out when Carlea Funk came to the plate. One pitch later, the score was 12-0 as the ball soared over the left-field fence.

“We’ve all been waiting on her to hit one,” Barnaby said.

“I just wanted a really good hit, just trying to get some RBIs,” the younger Funk said after the game. “I just swung, and it went.”

West Vigo added another run in the fifth, so the fact that the Lakers ended Funk’s shutout bid in the bottom of the inning — a one-out walk, the second hit of the game by Campbell Holler and a two-out RBI single by Morgan Yeryar — was academic.

“I was super happy with today’s performance,” Carlea Funk said.

“We’ve been hitting the ball really well lately,” said Viking coach Chris Nidiffer. “At the Braves Bash, we got a lot of hits but we couldn’t manufacture any runs. Now we’re starting to find a way.”

For the Lakers and first-year coach Linsey Yeryar — the former Linsey Rash, a star at both Shakamak and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods — Monday’s game was a step back after some progress.

“It’s been tough,” coach Yeryar said. “We’re very young and inexperienced: we lost seven of the nine starters from the 2019 sectional championship team. “We have been making an effort to get better every single game, but tonight was not our night.”

WEST VIGO (AB-R-H-RBI) — Auten lf 2-2-1-0, Rice rf 4-3-3-1, Barnaby 3b 2-3-2-5, A.Funk c 4-1-2-0, C.Funk p 4-1-2-4, Rohrbach 2b 4-1-2-1, Boatman ss 4-1-1-0, Dunkin cf 3-1-1-1, Elkins dp 4-0-0-0, Beeler 1b 0-0-0-0. Totals 31-13-14-12.

SHAKAMAK (AB-R-H-RBI) — Holler cf 3-1-2-0, Cottom c 3-0-1-0, Yeryar 3b 3-0-1-1, Rooksberry lf 3-0-0-0, Landry p 2-0-1-0, A.Gilbert ss 1-0-0-0, I.Gilbert 1b 2-0-0-0, Gallagher 2b 2-0-0-0, Hardesty dp 1-0-0-0, Collins rf-pr 0-0-0-0. Totals 20-1-5-1.

West Vigo=260=05=—=13

Shakamak=000=01=—=1

E — Collins 2, Barnaby, A.Gilbert, Gallagher. DP — Shakamak 1. LOB — WV 8, Shakamak 6. 2B — Rice. 3B — Rice. HR — Barnaby 2 (11), C.Funk (1). CS — Rohrbach. 

West Vigo=IP=H=R=ER=BB=SO

C.Funk (W)=5=5=1=1=2=5

Shakamak=IP=H=R=ER=BB=SO

Landry (L)=5=14=13=2=3=0

HBP — by Landry 2 (Auten 2). WP — Landry. T — 1:30.

Next — West Vigo (7-4) hosts North Putnam on Tuesday. Shakamak (1-8) plays Thursday at Sullivan.