Fatima holds off Blair Oaks 3-0

Posted 4/26/23

Fatima baseball coach Tyler VanGerpen is pleased with last Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Blair Oaks, noting the team took advantage of early mishaps.

“We capitalized on a wild pitch and …

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Fatima holds off Blair Oaks 3-0

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Fatima baseball coach Tyler VanGerpen is pleased with last Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Blair Oaks, noting the team took advantage of early mishaps.

“We capitalized on a wild pitch and him not necessarily hitting a spot early,” he said. “We had two strong hits right off the bat. And we were working counts. You get used to a guy throwing wild, and then it’s hard to  refocus because he got dialed in, and we just didn’t match it.”

Still, Blake Gentges (2-4) led off with a single to right, and Matthew Robertson (1-4) followed suit, going to the left side. Jared Schulte drew a walk, and with bases loaded, Easton Stuckenschneider (1-2, double) walked to drive in the first run.

Robertson scored on a passed ball that advanced the other runners, and Max Stuecken walked to reload the bags.

Two batters later, with two outs, Brody Kleffner reached on an error that allowed Schulte to score, and Fatima held a 3-0 lead.

The rest of the game was a good defensive effort by both teams, as neither scored. Fatima took advantage of four Blair Oaks errors but committed three.

Three runs were ample, VanGerpen said. “Pretty much any of our pitchers, if you give them three runs, that’s a comfortable lead,” he added.

Max Buscher pitched a complete-game two-hit shutout with a pair of walks and eight strikeouts. “As he showed tonight, Max has pretty good control over two and sometimes three pitches,” said VanGerpen. “We can do a lot when you can control your off-speed pitches. Even when the count isn’t in your favor, we can still throw a pitch in our favor. And hopefully, they roll over and help us out.”

VanGerpen also praised his defense. “They’ve turned it around this week after starting the season rough,” he said. “But lately, we’ve been a lot more sure-handed than when we started the season, which is good to see. It means guys are making adjustments and getting a feel for the game. I think we’re starting to catch stride.”

In the JV game, Landon Bassett had Fatima’s only hit in a 1-0 loss to the Falcons.

In a two-inning start, Hank Stuckenschneider allowed an earned run on two hits with a strikeout. Logan Kliethermes and Chase Willis each threw an inning and counted a strikeout apiece.

On Monday, the Comets defeated Capital City 6-4, plating one in the first and fifth and four in the fourth.

Gentges and Stuecken each delivered a pair of hits, with an RBI apiece. Buscher, Noah Jaegers, and Jack Robertson each had a single and an RBI.

Jaegers got the start and went three innings, during which he allowed two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and a walk. Blake Kliethermes gave up one earned run on one hit in three innings, with two strikeouts and two walks. And in one inning, Conner Bax allowed one hit.

Fatima won the JV game 7-4.

Glenn Berhorst (RBI) and Trevor Schulte each had a pair of hits, and Graham Boeckmann (RBI), Dylan Schwartze, and L. Kliethermes added a hit apiece.

On the mound, Sam Struemph allowed three earned runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts in a 2.2-inning start. L. Kliethermes closed the game with seven strikeouts and no hits.