CHERRY TWP — Four games into the season, the KarnsCity High School baseball team was 1-3 and going nowhere.

Errors plagued them. Clutch hitting was non-existent. Pitching was still rounding into form.

"We've just been getting better in all aspects of the game," said Karns City coach Rocky Brown. "We were 1-3, but we still could have beat those teams. We beat ourselves."

The only things Karns City was beating Wednesday afternoon was Moniteau and the baseball.

The Gremlins scored nine runs in the second inning and added six more in the third and fourth frames to down the Warriors 15-0 in three-plus innings.

Eight of the nine batters in the lineup scored at least one run. MattStimac had two RBI singles in the second inning alone and Chad Bell went 3-for-4 with two singles and a triple that landed on the hill in center field.

There is no outfield fence at Moniteau's baseball facility.

"I'd love to bottle it up and have it for the first round of the playoffs," Brown said of his hitting effort, which produced 11 hits.

The fact thatBrown is talking about the playoffs is satisfying to him after the team's poor start.

At one point early in the season, Brown's goal was just to break even.

"I had no idea we'd win this many games," Brown said. "I never told them this, but I thought if we would be .500, I'd be OK with that. But now we are 11-5. If someone told me (at the beginning of the season) we'd have that record, I'd tell them they were crazy."

Coty McGregor, who has been the horse for Karns City on the mound down the stretch, gave up one hit in three innings. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter.

Going back to last year, McGregor has won 12 of his last 13 starts.

"If we can get five or six runs with Coty on the mound, I feel pretty good about our chances against anybody," Brown said. "He's been dominant this year."

No wonder his teammates call him "Pedro."

Moniteau's Josh Howland got the only hit off McGregor, a bloop single in the third inning.

That was about the only thing that went right for the Warriors (5-10, 5-6) on a day when they committed six errors.

"It was embarrassing," said Moniteau coach Ross Martin.

McGregor and the Gremlins may have plenty of rest before the next game.

Karns City may or may not make up a game against Redbank Valley Tuesday. The District 9 seeding is already set, so the game would be meaningless.

If the Gremlins don't make it up, their next game won't be until the District 9 playoffs, which don't begin for more than two weeks.

Brown wants to get a scrimmage. He'd rather play a few more games as well as his team is playing.

"I'm concerned about it, because that's what killed us last year," Brown said. "I don't want to say that's why we lost our first playoff game last year, but we weren't as sharp as we could have been."

Karns City 092 4xx x—15 12 2Moniteau 000 xxx x—0 1 6WP: Coty McGregor (3 IP) 6 strikeouts, 0 walks.

LP: Ryan Eberlein (1Z\c IP) 1 strikeout, 0 walks

Karns City (11-5, 10-4): Chad Bell 2-1B, 3B; Andy Double RBI; Matt Allen 1B; Saxon Parker 1B, 2B, 3-RBI; Matt Stimac 2-1B, 2-RBI; McGregor 1B; Josh Stimac 2B, 1B; Cody Williams 3B, 3-RBI

Moniteau (5-10, 5-6): Josh Howland 1B