SLIPPERY ROCK - Karns City was out of pitching. Franklin's Zach Sterner had more than enough.

The senior right-hander didn't allow a baserunner until the fifth inning and the Knights banged out 14 hits against a depleted Gremlins staff in posting a 14-3 District 9-10 Class AA baseball semifinal victory Thursday at Critchfield Park.

"We knew it was going to take a miraculous, stupendous effort for us to get through this," Karns City coach Dave McElroy said. "It didn't happen.

"We had to use our junior varsity pitching staff. We had no one else."

The Gremlins played their third playoff game in four days. Their ace, Scott Jordan, wasn't eligible to return to the mound until today because of PIAA rules. He pitched seven innings Monday.

No. 2 pitcher Josh Smith pitched seven innings Tuesday and No. 3 pitcher Tyler Callihan was lost for the season earlier with an injury.

"I bleed for them," Franklin coach Harry Miller said. "That's a tough spot to be in. It's a painful way to go out."

Sophomore Cody McGregor started on the mound for Karns City. Kyle Texter, Mike Stimac and Jon Pennington followed. None could quiet the Franklin bats.

"They were patient at the plate," McElroy said. "They made us throw strikes, and they jumped on us."

Franklin's first six runs came on home runs. Mark Shouey hit a two-run blast down the left-field line in the second inning, Ryan Smith hit a two-out three-run homer to left center in the third and Shouey followed with a solo shot to the same spot over the 375-foot sign.

Smith and Shouey, Franklin's No. 4 and 5 hitters, are both hitting around .500 for the year. They combined to go 4-for-4 Thursday with three walks, seven runs scored and seven RBI.

Shouey has five homers, while Smith hit his first.

"They've been the heart of our lineup all year," Miller said.

The Knights added a run in the third and three in the fourth to take a 10-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth. Karns City was still looking for its first baserunner.

David Slagle took care of that, homering to left off Sterner to lead off the fifth frame. The blast prevented the Gremlins from losing via the 10-run rule.

"That's not the way you go down in the playoffs," senior catcher Josh Smith said. "You fight and battle until the end."

"I told the kids before we hit in the fifth and again in the sixth we do not want this to end this way," McElroy said.

Smith's sacrifice fly in the sixth forced Karns City to score again in its turn at bat. The Gremlins did so against reliever Chris Miller as Travis Simpson drew a bases-loaded walk and Mike Stimac drove in a run on a fielder's choice.

Andrew Riddle's RBI triple highlighted a three-run Franklin seventh.

"I'm so proud of my team because they never quit," McElroy said. "There were so many times today we could have laid back, but we never did."

Sterner is 4-1 on the year. While he is Franklin's ace, the Knights do not have a pitcher who has thrown more than 33 innings.

Franklin played its third playoff game of the week as well.

"We have six pretty good arms and we saved our best for today," Miller said. "We felt we could get away with that and it worked out."

McElroy is resigning as Karns City baseball coach after five years to spend more time with his own young children. The Gremlins were 73-16 during his tenure.

Franklin 024 131 3 -14 14 1

Karns City 000 012 0 - 3 3 1

WP:

Zack Sterner (5 IP) 4 strikeouts, 2 walks.

LP:

Cody McGregor (2

IP) 3 strikeouts, 0 walks

Franklin (15-5):

Zack Sterner 3-1B 2-R, Brian Schmidt 1B 2-RBI, Ryan Smith HR 2B 4-RBI 3-R, Mark Shouey 2-HR 3-RBI 4-R, Andrew Riddle 1B 3B 2-RBI, Matt Lynn 2-1B RBI, Richy Cerro 2B 1B 3-R

Karns City (17-3):

Mike Stitt 1B, David Black 1B, David Slagle HR, Travis Simpson RBI, Mike Stimac RBI