Hunter Fitzingo was cleared to pitch on Wednesday. He made sure Moniteau had clear sailing Thursday.

The junior right-hander returned to Kelly Automotive Park only eight days after being helped from the mound after collapsing during his warm-up pitches against Karns City.

Fitzingo had suffered a knee injury prior to the seventh inning. He had to watch from the dugout —his knee packed in ice — as the rival Gremlins rallied from a run down to post a 5-4 win in nine innings.

“Today was redemption for Hunter,” Moniteau coach Ross Martin said. “The last game didn't end the way he wanted it to.”

This one did.

Fitzingo tossed a three-hitter and struck out five Thursday in leading the Warriors to a 13-3 win over previously unbeaten Karns City in a District 9/5 baseball semifinal.

Buoyed by a four-run top of the first, Fitzingo struck out two batters in the first and second frames as Karns City (15-1) never threatened to get back in the game.

“I've wanted this my whole life,” Fitzingo said of the District 9 Class 3A playoff win over KC. “When we scored those four runs early, it calmed me down — and pumped me up at the same time.”

Karns City committed three errors in the four-run Moniteau first inning and four errors in a seven-run Warrior fourth. Gage Neal's two-run single and a run-scoring single by Brice Williams capped the big first inning.

“That top of the first threw a few longs on their fire and a few ice cubes on ours,” Karns City coach Josh “Sluggo” Smith said. “You enter a big game like this and give up four runs with one out in the first.

“It's tough to come back from that.”

Moniteau (15-5) had dropped a pair of 5-4 decisions to the Gremlins during the regular season.

Jared Lominski — who drilled a three-run double to deep left for the key hit in the seven-run fourth — wasn't surprised by Thursday's outcome.

“I knew we had this in us,” Lominski said. “We were geared up for this game. We wanted this badly.

“Honestly, I had a feeling something like this might happen today.”

Smith didn't feel that way.

“We played a few mediocre games this year and found ways to win,” he said. “But we played our worst game in our biggest game.

“Seven errors? You're not going to win. And they kept their foot on the gas because they know we can score some runs, too.”

But this day belonged to Fitzingo.

The diagnosis on his knee was a couple of slight tears in the meniscus. He will not be having surgery.

He will be playing more baseball.

“The doctor cleared me to play yesterday (Wednesday) and I was able to tell my team at practice,” Fitzingo said. “That picked all of us up.

“I love playing ball with these guys. We've been playing together since we were little kids. I was thrilled to be able to get back out there with them.”

Fitzingo contributed to the offense with a single, RBI and two runs scored. Lominski had four RBI, Neal a double, single, two RBI and two runs scored.

Neal's double struck the left field fence on a fly, missing a home run by a few feet.

Seven Moniteau players scored runs and seven had at least one RBI. Ten of the Warriors' 13 runs were unearned.

“They made us pay for our mistakes. Good teams do that,” Smith said.

Nolan Riley, who threw 61 pitches in 2.2 innings of relief for starter Tyler Yough, doubled for the Gremlins. Fitzingo threw 89 pitches.

“The intensity level amps way up when we play Karns City, far more than any other game,” Martin said. “This is an intense rivalry and always will be.”

Smith lauded his team and the Warriors.

“We won 15 straight and I couldn't ask for more in my first season as coach,” he said. “I like the situation I'm in here and hope to be doing this for a long time.

“I like the (Moniteau) players over there. They have good players and they play hard. Fitzingo is a gutsy kid. Those guts and fire rise to the occasion in a game like this.”

Moniteau 400 702 x — 13 9 3

Karns City 001 101 x — 3 3 7

W: Hunter Fitzingo 6IP (5K, 1BB). L: Tyler Yough 3.1IP (2K, 2BB).

Moniteau (15-5): Hunter Fitzingo 1B RBI 2-R, Andrew Dulya 1B RBI, Jake Jewart 1B 2-R, Nick Sosigian RBI 2-R, Jared Lominski 2B 4-RBI 2-R, Nathan Sosigian 1B RBI, Gage Neal 2B 1B 2-RBI 2-R, Brice Williams 1B RBI, Chance Nagy 1B 2-R

Karns City (15-1): Steve O'Donnell 1B, Nolan Riley 2B, Logan Pistorius 1B, Austin Rumbaugh RBI, Colton Hutchison RBI

Tuesday: PIAA playoffs-Moniteau vs. Everett or Chestnut Ridge