CHICORA — With a ting of the aluminum bat, the softball went soaring.

Moniteau junior Ashley Lominski didn't stop to look. She ran toward first with her head down. She bolted toward second, her head still looking at her feet when she heard the roar from the Warriors' bench.

The ball went over the center field fence at the spacious Chicora Elementary School for one of the farthest home runs Lominski has ever hit.

"Yeah, it was pretty close," she said.

"I didn't expect it (to go over the fence)," Lominski added. "I thought it was going to be close, but, when I figured out it went over, I was so happy."

Probably because she could simply jog the rest of the way around the bases.

Lominski has had plenty of practice doing that this season.

The center fielder/pitcher has hit four home runs this spring and is batting .400. Moniteau coach Danny Hindman inserted Lominski into the cleanup spot early in the season.

"It's pretty neat," Lominski said. "Last year, I was hitting in the sixth or seventh spot, and this year I'm hitting fourth. It shows all the hard work I have put into batting."

It also helps that Lominski has plenty of protection in the lineup.

Autumn Neff hits behind her and had a 4-for-4 game against Karns City.

And with leadoff hitter Maura McCaslin, Tiffany McCall and Alex Guercio hitting in front of her, Lominski rarely digs into the box with no one on base.

"She stepped into the No. 4 position for us this year, and she is doing a really nice job for us," Hindman said. "She's been working at it and that's what hard work does for you."

Lominski admits last season was not her best at the plate.

But those struggles motivated her to play better this season.

"I was in some kind of slump," Lominski said. "This year I was determined to break out of it. I'm trying to keep my feet still and try to have a little swing. Last year, I was overstepping and dipping down to try to hit home runs. This year, I'm focusing on making solid contact and if the home runs come, they come."

Lominski also has excelled on defense. She threw out a Karns City runner at the plate on a flyout to squash a Gremlin rally in a 9-5 win Tuesday.

"That defensive play was more important than her home run, to be honest," Hindman said.

Lominski has also spelled McCaslin in the pitching circle, despite less than two years of pitching experience.

"I've been going to different coaches and getting help from them," Lominski said. "(McCaslin) has a lot of faith in me, and I have a lot of faith in her."

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Thrice is nice for Shaffer. Slippery Rock High senior Angie Shaffer won three events at the Mercer County Athletic Conference meet Saturday.Shaffer won the high jump, 100 hurdles, triple jump in the tune-up meet for the District 10 Class AA Track and Field Championships, which will be held Saturday at Hickory High School.•

Fabulous Falcons. The A-C Valley softball team climbed into contention in the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference with several big victories.The Falcons handed Karns City its first KSAC loss, 5-4, then eked past Redbank Valley 7-5 to improve to 10-4 overall and 6-3 in the league.