CHICORA — Meet the West Sunbury Aluminum Company.

The Karns City softball team received a rude introduction Tuesday when Moniteau rapped 14 hits and scored nine runs against Gremlins pitcher Brandi Dunkle on the way to a 9-5 win at Chicora Elementary School.

Dunkle had given up a total of 12 hits in her previous four outings.

"Brandi moved the ball around. They just put the ball in play," said Karns City coach Mike Simpson. "I'll tell you what, that is the best hitting team I have seen this year. They impress me."

Five players had multihit games for the Warriors. Autumn Neff was 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI and Ashley Lominski was 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.

Moniteau's three, four and five hitters were a combined 9-of-12.

Smashing the ball is nothing new for the Warriors. They have made their reputation on pounding the opposition into submission.

"We've been preparing a long time for games like this," said Moniteau coach Danny Hindman. "We've been seeing pitching like this for a long time, so it is our expectation to attack the ball like that. It doesn't happen all the time, hitting is just that way, but it is our expectation to take it to them."

The run support was enough for Moniteau pitcher Maura McCaslin, who was battling Karns City hitters and an illness.

McCaslin barely could speak, but she let her performance do the talking as she struck out seven and walked four in seven innings.

The senior used a changeup to keep the Gremlins hitters off-balance.

"Hitting is timing, and if you can disrupt that timing, you have a pretty good chance to be successful," Hindman said.

Karns City loaded the bases with one out in both the fourth and fifth innings, but scored only one run.

Those squandered opportunities came back to haunt the Gremlins, who launched a three-run rally in the final inning only to fall short.

Karns City jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on an unearned run, but Moniteau scored its own unearned run in the top of the second inning to tie the score.

The Warriors took the lead for good with three runs in the top of the third inning, keyed by an RBI triple by Alex Guercio and a solo home run by Lominski that cleared the center-field fence of the spacious park.

"That's the furthest I've ever seen a ball hit here," Hindman said.

Neff deflated what little drama remaind when she singled home a run in the fifth inning and drove in two more with a double in the sixth inning that gave Moniteau a 9-2 lead.

The win was a big one for the Warriors, who, along with Clarion, are very much in the hunt for the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference title.

After consecutive KSAC losses to A-C Valley and Moniteau, Karns City is on the outside looking in.

"Oh, yeah, these last two games have hurt," Simpson said. "I think the main thing for us is to get on the field and practice. We have one game left, and we haven't gotten on our field to practice yet."

The Warriors are now big Gremlins fans. Karns City is scheduled to play Clarion, which also has one KSAC loss, today.

"They can help us out," Hindman said.

Moniteau 013 023 0 — 9 14 1Karns City 100 010 3 — 5 11 3W: Maura McCaslin (7 IP) 7 K, 4 BB.

L: Brandi Dunkle (7 IP) 5 K, 0 BB.

Moniteau (10-4, 7-1): McCaslin 2-1B; Alex Guercio 3B, 1B, RBI; Ashley Lominski HR, 1B, 2B, 2-RBI; Autumn Neff 2-2B, 2-1B, 3-RBI; Brittany Fallen 2-1B

Karns City (8-3, 7-2): Samantha Bly 3-1B; Dunkle 3-1B, RBI; Lisa Kaylor 2-1B, RBI; Haley Bachman 2-1B, RBI

Today: Karns City at Clarion; West Forest at Moniteau