FOXBURG — Karly Kaufman has been playing softball since she was 9, but she has never had a day like Friday.

"It was very insane," she said.

Kaufman, a junior pitcher for A-C Valley, hit three long home runs over the fence at the Falcons' softball field.

In the circle, she was just as dominant, striking out 14, scattering four hits and giving up three unearned runs in the 11-3 win over Clarion.

But it was her exploits at the plate that drew the most awe.

Even from her.

"I didn't even expect to hit one home run," Kaufman said. "Honestly, after the first one, I didn't expect to hit another one. Then I hit the third one. It was so unreal."

Her performance wasn't entirely shocking.

Kaufman has been a solid performer for the still-burgeoning A-CValley softball program since her freshman season.

The Falcons first fielded a softball team in 2005. Kaufman saw significant playing time as a freshman in 2006.

But this year, she has been a tough out in the middle of the Falcons' lineup.

Kaufman is batting .520. All three of her home runs and six of her seven RBI came againstClarion Friday.

"Everyone at the game pretty much said the same thing," Larimore said. "They had never seen a girl hit three home runs over the fence in the same game."

Her first home run soared over the fence in center field.

Kaufman's second dinger was hit out in right center and her final blast cleared the fence down the left-field line.

She also doubled, lining a shot that two-hopped against the left-field fence.

"We'll punish her for the double," Larimore quipped. "You could argue the hardest ball she hit all day was the double."

Clarion hitters didn't have the same luck againstKaufman, who baffled them for seven innings.

Not bad for a pitcher who hasn't done a whole lot of pitching in her career.

Last year, she dabbled as a relief pitcher. This season, Kaufman's carrying the entire burden, pitching every inning of every game, striking out 67 and walking 20 in 44 innings. She has posted a 1.27 ERA.

"I have been really working hard on pitching," Kaufman said. "I went to camps in Tennessee and I think that really helped."

Kaufman is unlike most dominating pitchers. She has only one pitch she relies on most of the time — a fastball — but she also throws a changeup, a rising ball and a drop ball from time to time to keep the hitters off balance.

What makes her one pitch work is its movement and her pinpoint control.

"She hits her spots," Larimore said.

The win over Clarion was the biggest in the program's short history, Larimore said, and raised the Falcons' record to 3-4.

Kaufman was happy she could be a huge part of it.

"A lot of the schools we play have been around for a really long time, so they have an advantage," Kaufman said. "I never thought we could beat a team like Clarion. I think we're really coming along."