CHERRY TWP — They hit for extra bases and they played small ball.

They stole bases and runs.

They had seven players touch the plate at least once and eight players get at least one hit.

It was exactly what Moniteau softball coach Dan Beebe wanted to see from his team in an 11-1, six-inning home win over rival Karns City on a raw, windy and rainy day.

“We’ve been playing pretty well lately and we’ve been playing in this weather like everyone else has, too,” Beebe said. “We put the bat on the ball and that’s the way we’ve been playing lately. We’ve been putting runners on and knocking them in.”

The Warriors (11-1 overall, 4-0 in the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference) banged out 14 hits — three for extra bases — in the game.

And just about everyone got in on the act.

“We have seven, eight, nine hitters but they’re only seven, eight, nine because someone has to bat seven, eight, nine,” Beebe said. “When seven, eight, nine can contribute, that’s when championships are won.”

Kennedy DeMatteis was 3-for-4 at the plate with three singles and four RBI.

She also surrendered just two hits in the circle while striking out four.

Moniteau got two runs in the first, added another in the second and scored three more times in the fourth to take a 6-0 lead.

The runs came in many different ways, including a sacrifice fly.

Karns City scored its only run in the top of the fifth inning when Saydie Moore smacked a hustle double and scored on a throwing error, but Moniteau added two more in the bottom of the inning and three in the bottom of the sixth — one on a sacrifice bunt by Cortney Claypool, who had a double off the fence in the first inning— to win by mercy rule.

“We like to have balance because you never know what type of game you’re going to get into,” Beebe said.

Moniteau also swiped seven bases and moved up a bag every chance it could get.

“We like to play aggressive,” Beebe said. “We like to strike fast, strike early, strike often.”

For Karns City, it was a sloppy game.

The Gremlins committed seven errors behind pitcher Taylor Downs, who struck out two and walked four.

“We made too many mistakes,” said Karns City coach Jim Gibson. “You can’t make mistakes against good teams. It’ll bite ya.”

Gibson said the defensive struggles are mostly due to players playing out of position.

The Gremlins lost pitcher LeeAnn Gibson because of a finger injury that dated back to basketball season. Her absence has created a ripple effect throughout the defensive alignment.

“It is what it is,” said Jim Gibson, who is LeeAnn’s father. “We just have to get through it the best we can.

“We just have to play better,” Gibson added. “The people we moved around are good softball players. They just have to learn the position they got stuck in.”

Karns City (4-2) did make solid contact against DeMatteis, but hit the ball hard at the Warriors’ defense, which made the play.

Downs had the only other hit for the Gremlins, a single in the fourth that ended DeMatteis’ no-hit bid.

“We put the bat on the ball,” Gibson said. “But I can’t really say we hit the ball hard.”

Gibson is hopeful his team can get out on the field and play a string of games to correct the fielding issues.

The Gremlins have only played six times in five weeks.

“That will definitely help,” Gibson said. “You can practice all you want, but it doesn’t help with game speed. We got sloppy, giving them extra bases. That just gets corrected with playing.”

Karns City 000 010 x — 1 2 7

Moniteau 210 323 x — 11 14 1

Two out when mercy-rule run scored

W: Kennedy DeMatteis 6IP (4K, 1BB). L: Taylor Downs 5.2IP (2K, 4BB).

Karns City (4-2): Saydie Moore 2B, T. Downs 1B

Moniteau (11-1, 4-0): Alyssa Dailey 1B, Gabby Stewart 2B 1B, Kennedy DeMatteis 3-1B 4-RBI, Kristina DeMatteis 2-1B 2-RBI, Sara Hull 3-1B, Cortney Claypoole 2B RBI, Morgan Hepler 2B RBI, Alaiza Greaves 1B

Today: Keystone at Karns City

Thursday: Moniteau at Clarion-Limestone