STRATTANVILLE — Zach Moore scrambled back into second base after a two-run double and made horns with his hands, propping them up against each side of his helmet.

Moore started that practice after a pair of tough losses by the Karns City baseball team — including one to rival Moniteau — at mid-season.

“It was something fun to do,” Moore said. “Something to keep us going.”

He called them “battle horns” and the Gremlins brought them out early and often in the District 9 Class AA title game, goring the Warriors over and over again in a 14-1, five-inning win at Clarion-Limestone Wednesday afternoon.

Karns City scored five runs in the first inning off Moniteau ace Derek Boben, who didn't make it out of the inning, and piled on for six more in the third to make the outcome a foregone conclusion.

The Gremlins' plan all along was to jump on Moniteau early. That's exactly what they did, batting around in the frame.

“The five runs in the first inning was clutch, awesome,” said Moore, a clean-up hitter who had a key bunt single in the first inning. “We knew that if we started well, we could get them feeling down on themselves.”

The first time the two teams played, Karns City scored a pair of runs in the first inning against Boben, but didn't score again as the Warriors rallied for four runs in the seventh for a 4-2 win.

This time around, the Gremlins were determined to keep the pressure on.

“The first inning we set the tone,” said Karns City coach Randy Collins. “Then we didn't let up on the pedal for the rest of the game.”

Alessandro Marotto had a career game for Karns City.

The junior third baseman had a bases-loaded double in the first inning that brought home three runs, tripled home a run in the third and capped off his day with a two-run double in the fifth that gave the Gremlins a 14-1 lead.

“That first double was huge,” Marotto said. “I just wanted to get the team off to a good start because we focused so much on getting off to a good start. That helped a lot.”

Karns City (14-2) pounded out 15 hits against three Moniteau pitchers.

Senior Colton Cumberland moved from shortstop to the mound in relief of Boben and worked a scoreless second, but gave up six runs in the third.

Aaron Marterella relieved him and worked a scoreless fourth inning before running into his own trouble in the fifth.

Cumberland, the only senior on the Warriors' roster, had a hard time dealing with the loss, blinking away tears as he spoke after the game.

“They came out and jumped on the ball,” Cumberland said through a raspy voice. “We tried to stay up, but everyone who came in to pitch — it wasn't their day.”

Moniteau coach Ross Martin declined comment.

The Warrior pitchers also weren't helped by four errors behind them.

It was a bad end to what was a good season for Moniteau (14-3), which had won 14 straight games before the loss to the Gremlins.

When asked if the sting of this loss would lesson with time and with the knowledge the Warriors had one of their best seasons in school history, Cumberland offered a simple, “No.”

“We put in hours and hours and hours ... to get here,” Cumberland added. “It's rough. We put everything into this game.”

Moniteau is still looking for its first District 9 title.

Karns City has now won two straight and this one may be the sweetest.

“Yes, I do think it is,” Collins said. “Like I was telling the seniors, this has been an awesome journey. When I first came here, they were freshmen. That makes it sweeter, too, and what we have gone through this season, the injuries, some of the things we have had to deal with and put up with, this is awesome.”

Karns City 506 03x x — 14 15 0

Moniteau 000 10x x — 1 2 4

W: Tyler Kepple 5IP (2K, 2BB). L: Derek Boben 0.2IP (0K, 1BB).

Karns City (14-2): Nate Weckerly 1B 2B 3-R, Matt Yough 2-1B, Zach Moore 2-1B 2B 2-RBI, Mike Riley 1B 2-RBI 3-R, Alessandro Marotto 2-2B 3B 6-RBI, Tyler Dunn 2-1B, Wyatt Everetts 1B, Evan Stitt 1B

Moniteau (14-3): Josh McBride 2B, Jake McBride RBI, Zach Jewart 2B

Monday: Karns City vs. Northwestern, PIAA Class AA first round, site and time TBD