After losing the first two games of the Take it to the Lake tournament on Saturday, the Lady Comets surged in the silver bracket, winning two straight to claim the championship.

“It was a rough week for us, but we came together and started to play Fatima softball again for the silver bracket championship,” said Coach Ashlee Schnieders. “We learned a lot and are ready for the rest of the season.”

In the championship game against McDonald County, Fatima gave a run in the second inning but then dominated the remainder of the contest, scoring 15 unanswered runs for a 15-1 win.

It started in the third when the Lady Comets put up four runs. 

Faith Jaegers (2-5, 3 RBI) hit a sac-fly to score one run for Fatima, Allison Schwartze (1-4, RBI) singled to plate another, and Lilly Cunningham (2-3, 3 RBI) tripled to drive in two.

That would have been plenty to win, but the Lady Comets weren’t done and found their groove in the sixth with six more runs.

Caleigh Huot led off with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch, coming in to score when Mia Kliethermes (1-2, RBI) singled to right field.

Ella Massman hit a fielder’s choice that cut down Kliethermes, and Hannah Heisler (2-5) doubled to left to put runners on the corners for Kinzey Woody (3-4, 2 RBI), whose single plated Massman and pushed Heisler to third.

The onslaught continued as Jaegers ripped a triple to center field that cleared the bases and gave the Lady Comets an 8-1 lead.

Ellie Brune (RBI) reached on a dropped third strike, and Jaegers scored the ninth run. A groundout moved Brune to second, and Cunningham’s base-knock RBI plated Brune.

Heisler tripled to lead off the frame at the top of the seventh and was rewarded when Woody hit an RBI single.

Jaegers, Madelyn Backes (1-1, RBI), and Kristen Robertson (1-2, 2 RBI) each hit singles in the inning as well to give Fatima a five-run finish to the game.

Kliethermes started the game and notched the win after going five innings. She allowed one earned run on five hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. Avery Brandt closed the game, holding MC scoreless through two innings with four strikeouts and a walk.

Against Timberland in the previous game, Fatima won the hitting battle 6-3 and overcame a couple of errors for a 3-2 win in eight innings.

Using tournament rules, Cunningham started the top of the eighth at second base. Huot sacrificed her to third, and Robertson (1-3, RBI) delivered an RBI single for the go-ahead run.

Timberland did the same thing, advancing the runner to third on a sacrifice, but Kliethermes struck out the next batter and induced a game-ending grounder. She finished with two strikeouts and gave up one hit in three innings.

While that was an impressive end to the game, Fatima used a productive seventh just to tie it up at 2-2.

Woody (2-3, 2 doubles) and Jaegers (1-3) hit back-to-back one-out doubles to score the first run, and with two outs on the board, Schwartze (1-3, RBI) singled to drive in Jaegers.

Brune also had a hit in the game.

Taylor Baumhoer started on the rubber and, in five innings, allowed no earned runs on two hits, with six strikeouts.

Fatima defeated Truman 5-2 and lost to Winfield 4-2 in early games on Saturday.

In the win, Kaitlyn Plassmeyer (2 RBI) and Heisler (2B, RBI) each had two hits, while Woody (RBI), Brune (RBI), Schwartze, Cunningham, and Huot added a hit apiece.

Kliethermes was solid in the circle, allowing one earned on five hits, with five strikeouts and one walk. Baumhoer closed out the final inning with a strikeout and a walk.

Fatima counted nine hits against Winfield, but a late-game rally led to the loss.

Jaegers had a pair of hits, including a triple, with an RBI, as Brune (RBI) and Schwartze each had two hits, and Heisler, Woody, and Baumhoer posted a single apiece.

Baumhoer went the distance and took the loss after striking out nine and walking three as she allowed two earned runs on four hits.

On Friday, the Lady Comets claimed an 11-0 win over St. Elizabeth in five innings, scoring all their runs in the first three.

Brune led with two hits, including a double and an RBI, as Emerson Williams (2 RBI), Jaegers, KP (RBI), Huot (RBI), Schwartze (RBI), and Cunningham (2 RBI) added one hit each.

In three innings of work, Baumhoer struck out nine. Kliethermes followed with two strikeouts in two innings for the shutout.