A quick start for Beaver spelled a sudden finish for Karns City.

The WPIAL Class AA baseball champion Bobcats scored five runs in the first inning and rolled to a 10-0, six-inning PIAA Tournament win over the Gremlins Monday afternoon at Pullman Park.

The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Gremlins, whose only regular season loss occurred April 30 to Cranberry. KC outscored its opponents 81-16 during the seven-game streak and scored 10 or more runs 14 times this season.

All the Gremlins mustered Monday was three singles, two of those off the bat of senior Nick Ganter.

“Their guy threw well,” KC coach Randy Collins said. “We were off-balance and didn't get a lot of good swings.”

Austin Logan, a 5-foot-10 senior right-hander, is Beaver's No. 2 pitcher. He threw 75 pitches, 48 for strikes, and never threw more than 16 pitches in an inning.

“Austin was efficient and just went after them,” Beaver coach Bruce Herstine said. “He threw strikes and got ahead of hitters.

“He hadn't pitched since the (WPIAL) quarterfinals. but our No. 1 guy (senior Austin Ross) has thrown a lot of innings lately and we wanted to give him a few more days of rest.”

Karns City starter Tyler Kepple struggled with command, throwing 30 pitches and walking two in the first inning. Ross hit a two-run triple to right and Jalen Lawson delivered a run-scoring double to left to highlight the five-run frame.

When Logan opened the second inning with a home run to left on a 3-1 pitch, Collins swapped Kepple with shortstop Matt Yough. Kepple threw more balls than strikes before being relieved.

“Tyler struggled to find his pitches a bit and that's tough against a good hitting team,” Collins said.

Beaver entered the game averaging eight runs per contest and hitting over .400 as a team. Yough, a sophomore, did not allow an earned run until the Bobcats plated two runs in the sixth.

“Matt came in and kept us in the game,” Collins said. “On this day, his effort wasn't enough.”

Eight of Beaver's 13 hits went for extra bases. The first four batters in the Bobcats' lineup — Logan, Ben Herstine, Ross and Nick Hineman — were a combined 9-for-14 with eight runs scored and five RBI.

“Our kids were ready to play today,” Coach Herstine said. “These kids just have a drive about them. They're not satisfied with anything until they get to the end.

“Scoring those runs early relaxed us a lot. We don't usually score big in the first inning. We usually wear pitchers down and have big innings in the fifth or sixth.”

Beaver won its ninth straight game and moves on to second-round play in the state tourney Thursday.

The Gremlins say goodbye to seniors Ganter, Scott Kiser and Tyler Rodgers.

“We've got seven starters and pretty much all of our pitching back next year,” Collins said. “Our guys put together a fantastic season, one of our best ever.

“I'm proud of them and they should be proud of themselves.”

Karns City 000 000 x — 0 3 2

Beaver 510 202 x — 10 13 0

W: Austin Logan 6IP (5K, 2BB). L: Tyler Kepple 1IP (0K, 2BB).

Karns City (18-2): Matt Yough 1B, Nick Ganter 2-1B

Beaver (20-3): Austin Logan HR 2B 1B 2-R RBI, Ben Herstine 1B 2-R, Austin Ross 3B 2-2B 2-RBI 2-R, Nick Hineman 3B 1B 2-RBI 2-R, Jalen Lawson 2B RBI, Jordan Yates 2B RBI, Jon Hill 2-1B RBI, Matt Rose RBI