Fatima baseball coach Tyler VanGerpen is pleased that the Comets returned to the diamond after a tough Jefferson City tournament to win two of three games last week.

“Last week was a big bounce back,” he said as the Comets played Eugene, Hallsville, and Eldon. “Each one of those teams had a winning record. The loss came to Eldon in a walk-off, again losing by two runs or less while having the lead late in the game. Nonetheless, we were starting to put complete games together, and the boys had some fun.”

Fatima’s loss to Eldon came on Friday, a 3-2 decision, as the Mustangs edged the Comets 6-5 in hits.

Blake Gentges (1-2) opened the game with a double to center field and came home when Max Stuecken (1-4) reached on an error.

After Eldon scored in the bottom of the first, the game remained a 1-1 tie until the top of the fifth when Easton Stuckenschneider drew a one-out walk. Matthew Robertson (2-3) doubled to move Stuckenschneider to third, and Graham Boeckmann (RBI) drove him home on a sac fly to center.

Jacob Schulte also had a hit for the Comets.

On the mound, Brody Kleffner went five innings with the start, allowing an earned run on three hits, with four walks and seven strikeouts. Noah Jaegers pitched the final inning, allowing two earned runs on three hits.

In the JV game, Fatima won 5-2, scoring three in the first and one in each the second and fifth.

Logan Kliethermes had two hits, and Boeckmann (2 RBI), B. Kliethermes (RBI), Schwartze (RBI), Sam Struemph, and Trevor Schulte each added a hit.

L. Kliethermes started the game and won after 2.1 innings in which he allowed one earned run on three hits, with three strikeouts and a walk. Conner Bax went 1.2 innings and struck out two, and in one inning on the mound, Chase Willis struck out two and walked one.

On Thursday, Max Buscher led the Comets to a 9-4 win over Class 4 rival Hallsville, ranked ninth at the time. He threw a complete game, allowing two earned runs on five hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts.

Fatima struck first with a run in the first. Schulte (3-4) started the rally with a two-out single to the left side. Stuckenschneider (2-4, 3 RBI) was hit by a pitch, and Schulte stole third, coming home on an error that allowed Buscher (1-4, RBI) to reach.

Hallsville countered with two runs in the second to take the lead, but Fatima scored four in the top of the third inning to take a lead the Comets would not surrender.

Schulte led off with a single and stole second and third. Two batters later, Buscher hit a single up the middle to plate Schulte. M. Robertson (2-5) followed with a single, and his brother, Jack Robertson, was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

A Kleffner (2-4, 2 RBI) fielder’s choice scored Buscher but cut down J. Robertson.

With two outs, Blake Kliethermes reached on an error that scored M. Robertson, and another error, this time allowing Gentges to claim first, allowed Kleffner to score Fatima’s fifth run.

Leading 5-3 in the top of the fifth, Kleffner and Gentges (1-3) counted hits, and Schulte was intentionally walked to set the table for Stuckenschneider, who delivered a triple to clear the bases.

M. Robertson came through with a lead-off double in the sixth and came home after a sac-bunt by J. Robertson pushed him to third and a Kleffner single.

Fatima’s JV team defeated Hallsville 10-2 with 15 hits on the day.

Most players on the squad had at least one hit as Bax went 3-3 with an RBI to lead the way. Boeckmann (2 RBI), L. Kliethermes (RBI), and Willis each added two hits, while Dylan Schwartze (RBI), Berhorst (RBI), Hank Stuckenschneider (RBI), Landon Bassett, T. Schulte, and Andrew Muenks had a hit apiece.

Struemph went the distance to claim the win, allowing two earned on five hits with eight strikeouts and five walks.

Fatima collected 10 hits in last Tuesday’s 7-2 win against Eugene, as the Comets scored in the first three innings.

Schulte (2-4, 2 RBI) hit a two-out single and was rewarded when Stuckenschneider (2-4, 2 RBI) smashed a two-run round-tripper to center field for a 2-0 lead.

In the second, Kliethermes (2-2, RBI) posted a one-out hit to center field to push Buscher to third (walk). After Cody Schwartze walked, Gentges (1-4) delivered an RBI single to plate Buscher and load the bases. Courtesy runner Glenn Berhorst (in for Kliethermes) scored on a sac-fly by Stuecken (1-3, RBI), and with a 4-0 lead, Schulte doubled to score two more.

Fatima’s final run came in the third. M. Robertson (2-4) started with a double, Kleffner walked two batters later, and Kliethermes drove in Robertson on a single.

Eugene plated two in the third, but neither team scored the rest of the game.

Kliethermes started the game and went three innings, allowing two earned on two hits, with four walks and a strikeout. In four innings of relief, J. Robertson held Eugene scoreless on two hits, with six strikeouts and two walks to pick up the win.

In the JV contest, the Comets claimed an 11-2 win in four innings, as H. Stuckenschneider (H, 2 ER, BB, K in one inning), D. Schwartze (H, BB, 2 K in two innings), and L. Kliethermes (K) shut down the Eagles with a two-hitter.

Offensively, Boeckmann’s 2-3 was tops, with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Struemph added a double and three RBI, while L. Kliethermes (2 RBI), Berhorst (RBI), and H. Stuckenschneider added a hit apiece. Bassett also had an RBI.