Dynamic pitching duo drove Gremlins
CHICORA— Two arms are better than one.
That's been the Karns City softball team's philosophy for the past two seasons.
The Gremlins rode the pitching arms of senior Ashton Pakutz and junior Brandi Dunkle to winning records both years, including a 13-5 mark and the program's first appearance in the District 9 championship game in 2007.
"I've got two pitchers of similar ability and I was going to make use of both,"KC coach Mike Simpson said. "I basically pitch each every other game.
"Whoever doesn't pitch plays in the outfield. Both contribute to the team in more ways than just pitching."
Both contributed mightily on the mound during the Gremlins' 10-8 campaign this spring that included an 8-1 win over Cranberry in the first round of the district playoffs.
Dunkle and Pakutz combined to allow only 25 earned runs in the regular season, striking out 123 and walking 37 batters.
Dunkle had 64 strikeouts in 48X\c innings. Pakutz fanned 59 in 51 innings.
"It's rare to have two pitchers with those kinds of strikeout numbers at a small school like ours,"Simpson said. "Brandi is more of a straightforward pitcher. She has three pitches that she throws for strikes.
"Ashton is more of a spot pitcher. She moves the ball around well."
Having two pitchers came in handy last year, when Pakutz suffered a broken wrist just before the playoffs. Dunkle pitched the remainder of the season
"We both throw the same pitches: changeup, fastball and rise-up,"Pakutz said. "It's nice that there's two of us. We can give teams different looks at times.
"I like pitching every other game. It does keep us both fresh."
Simpson began rotating the two pitchers last year.
"Both were effective. It was a no-brainer and it kept them both happy,"the coach said.
Both girls have contributed on offense as well.
Dunkle hit fourth in the lineup and carried a .358 batting average with 18 stolen bases and 15 RBI.
Pakutz, who batted fifth, hit .265 with 12 stolen bases and was denied a three-run homer in Wednesday's playoff loss at Kane when the umpire ruled she failed to touch the plate.
Both have more softball in their futures. Pakutz plans to attend Butler County Community College and play softball there. Dunkle, who pitched a no-hitter against Redbank Valley earlier in the season, earned a spot on the Pittsburgh Power traveling team this summer.
Simpson said his pitchers deserve any future opportunities to display their talents.
"They're good enough to play in college," he said. "Besides their pitching skills, they have good bats, good speed. ... They've been a vital part of our lineup."
Six of Karns City's seven regular-season losses this year were by the combined total of 10 runs.
"It got to me at times," Pakutz admitted about the close losses. "We made some mistakes that cost us games. It's frustrating, but you play through it. We won and lost as a team."
Here are the 2008 regular-season softball pitching numbers of Karns City's Brandi Dunkle and Ashton Pakutz:Brandi Dunkle<B>IP ERA K W48</B>2/3 1.29 64 16Ashton Pakutz<B>IP ERA K W51 2.19 59 21</B>
