Fatima wasted no time in scoring as Jackson Crede (2-2) hit a 2-2 pitch over the right field wall in the top of the first to give the Comets a 1-0 lead against Centralia in last Tuesday’s 2-0 Class 3 sectional win.

In the fifth, Tyler “Turtle” Bexten (1-3) added the team’s second HR, this time to center field, and Fatima held a 2-0 lead for the eventual win by that score. 

Overall, the Comets collected seven hits and began the game with an early lead. Blake Kliethermes gave Centralia few options for a counterstrike.

“I can almost guarantee they probably haven’t seen a guy like Blake all season,” said VanGerpen. “He didn’t have his best stuff today, but he gave us a chance, and that’s all we ask. Blake did a good job.”

Kliethermes scattered nine hits over 6.2 innings while striking out eight and walking just two. Despite base-runners, the senior didn’t allow a run.

“I just went out there and gave them my best stuff,” said Kliethermes. “They’re a pretty good hitting team, so I really had to hone it in and let my defense work.”

His defense was solid, especially in two plays at third.

In the top of the second, Centralia opened with consecutive singles, but the Comets gunned down the lead runner at third in a great close play by Tommy Heisler, who applied a tag despite an athletic attempt to avoid it.

In the top of the fifth, Fatima encountered a tough situation. After an error, Centralia drew a walk and then punched a single to left field to load the bases. Colten Scheulen caught the lead runner in a pickoff throw to give the Panthers their first out. That was fortunate in that the next batter walked to reload the bags. Kliethermes induced a double-play ground ball to get out of the inning.

Bexten gave Fatima an insurance run with his home run in the bottom of the fifth. Tony Heckman (1-2) had singled with one out but was caught trying to steal second.

Fatima’s sixth began with a Scheulen (2-3) single, and Tanner Huhn and Heckman (1-2) each drew a walk, but the Comets could not convert.

Kliethermes left the game due to pitch count, and Heisler closed the door after allowing a single and striking out one. “It was pretty nerve-wracking, but a lot of adrenaline, just coming in and trying to do my job,” said Heisler. “That’s what we’ve been working on all season. Blake does his part, and then I come in and get the job done.”

VanGerpen noted the combination has been effective. “We started grooming Tommy in the middle of April and told him, ‘Playoff games, you’re relieving Blake and/or Bryce.’ You’ve got to be able to get one, two, three outs in a big game,” the coach explained. “One run, two runs — there’s not going to be an easy game.”

That philosophy applied to all underclassmen. “Having the strength of schedule we have, putting these kids in what I’ll say are crappy situations during the season against big schools and big games, made this just another game for them,” said VanGerpen. “They know their role. They know what they have to do. Now, it’s just execute, and we were lucky enough to do that today.”

At the plate, Fatima used every possible at-bat to maintain momentum.

“We had two home runs that got the job done for us today, and we had some pretty good at-bats all day,” said Kliethermes.

Mason Bax also had a single for Fatima.

VanGerpen praised the home runs but also acknowledged the importance of overall hitting. “We got just enough runs,” he said. “That’s playoff baseball. Getting contributions from not the norm is how you win playoff games. They have scouting reports for one through five. That’s why those hitters sometimes struggle. It’s the guys that they don’t expect to contribute. They have to contribute, and that’s how you win these playoff games.”