Fatima (18-13) ended its baseball season with a 2-0 loss to Duschene in Thursday’s Class 3 quarterfinal.

Coach Tyler VanGerpen knew it would be a tough game because Duschene has a quality program, and because Fatima won it all last year. “Everybody we faced had a legit scouting report on us,” he said. “How they get it, I have no idea, but we’re the defending state champs. Everybody wants to be the one to knock Fatima off. That’s been a challenge for us all year.”

VanGerpen added that a 2-0 score reflects the quality of the teams involved. “It’s a playoff baseball game,” he said. “That’s exactly how it should be. Obviously, our offense didn’t perform the way it had the last two or three weeks, but our pitching and our defense kept us in it, and that’s all you can ask.”

VanGerpen did not alter his approach to the game. “They had their top guy on the mound, and he showed up,” he noted. “Granted, he’s a good pitcher, but our offense just didn’t come out and perform.”

He did not have a scouting report. “Honestly, the game plan is we just worry about us,” said VanGerpen. “I don’t do much scouting on other teams. I can do in-game situations. I control the pitches. I can read and manage the pitching, which 90 percent of the time manages the rest of the game.”

The Comets had two opportunities, with a walk to Tony Heckman and a single by Colten Scheulen, who broke up the no-hitter in the seventh.

Bryce Wieberg started the game and threw a planned five innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits, with six strikeouts and three walks. “It was planned from the get-go, because Bryce’s value at shortstop for us is so impactful,” said VanGerpen. “If everything was going smoothly, he was going four, maybe five innings, and we planned for Tommy (Heisler) to take the sixth and seventh, for sure. That way, we had our best defense behind him.”

In the fifth, VanGerpen called time to talk things over as the Pioneers had a runner at third and no outs. “Pretty much I just went out there and communicated that we had to minimize damage,” he said. “I told him we could give up one run and still have a chance, but we couldn’t give up three or four, or our energy would plummet. All that was really just to get him refocused and get him back in there.”

Wieberg responded well, after walking the next batter, with three straight outs, including a called strikeout to end the frame. “Bryce did exactly what we needed him to do,” said VanGerpen.

In his two-inning relief stretch, Heisler allowed two hits and struck out one, but didn’t allow Duschene to score again.

VanGerpen said reaching the quarterfinals was an achievement. “At the start of the season, I’m not sure I would have guessed we’d be in the final eight — had a lot of stuff to figure out,” he added. “Caps off to all these boys and these seniors and the leaders on this team for making that growth quicker. They put themselves in a position to compete in a game like this, and playing in the quarterfinals is 100 percent the growth of the team this year.”

Seniors Colten Scheulen, Blake Kliethermes, Tyler “Turtle” Bexten, and Mason Bax took control of the team early in the season and led their teammates while helping them develop. “Colton has been a two-year starter behind the plate, and he’s a rock,” said VanGerpen. “He’s our energy. Blake had been on varsity for four years, and this year he made a big leap on offense. On top of that, he’s our best pitcher. He had a double duty this year, and he handled it perfectly.”

Bexten, meanwhile, never left his post in center field. “Turtle is a defensive guru out there,” said VanGerpen. “If the ball’s in the air, he’s going to go get it. Mason started the season with a foot injury, and as soon as he got back, we started going. That cleaned up our defense. The seniors played a big role and set the standard the last two years.”

Fatima’s underclassmen also made big growth to allow this to happen. “They didn’t get to be a part of it last year because we had eight seniors,” said VanGerpen. “This year was a big leap for the underclassmen to be in these games and experience what this is like. Next year they’ll know what to do and how it’s done.”

Following last week’s Class 3, District 8 tournament, Scheulen, Kliethermes, Wieberg, Heisler, and Jackson Crede were named to the All-District team.