Bryce Wieberg hit two home runs and drove in four as Fatima defeated Linn 8-2 on Friday in a game that featured recognition of the 1996 Final Four team and this year’s seniors.

“We’re playing Linn, so that’s gonna bring its own juice to the game. Senior night adds in a little bit, but it was good to see the guys almost act like it was a normal game,” said Coach Tyler VanGerpen. “You could tell they were settled from the beginning. They weren’t too juiced up, so they did a good job of controlling their emotions, but still competing at a high level.”

Wieberg’s 2-3 night at the plate drove in four runs, while Jackson Crede kept the offense going in tough spots, finishing 4-4 with an RBI.

Linn struck in the top of the first with a run after Gus Peters (1-3) opened with a single. He moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a wild pitch to set up the run. Jax Kubiak was on with a walk when Peyten Peters hit a sac fly, but Kubiak was stranded.

Linn Coach Caleb Thomas said he felt pretty good after claiming the early lead. “You hold an early lead through two — it’s feeling pretty good — and you get punched in the mouth,” he added. “We just never sent one back as a counter.”

It took a bit for the Comets to hit their offensive groove, but when it did, Fatima took off with runs in three consecutive innings.

“I love seeing the adjustments we’ve made and how quickly we made them,” said VanGerpen. “Usually, we struggle a little bit with making the adjustments, and today, I felt like we made them quicker than usual.”

Crede hit a lead-off single, and Wieberg immediately cashed in with a homer to left field for a 2-1 lead.

Two batters later, Colten Scheulen (2-4, RBI) doubled to center field to keep the inning going. Jack Wieberg entered as a courtesy runner and moved up on a Tommy Heisler (1-3) single. With two outs, J. Wieberg scored on a wild pitch before Tanner Huhn (1-2) drew a walk, but the inning ended with one aboard.

“All of our hits seemed to be hard-line drives, so not only did they make the adjustments, but they stayed out of the air for the most part,” VanGerpen said. “They’re putting together good at-bats, and I’m glad that they’re getting to see the results.”

Thomas said several factors played into Friday’s loss.

“There’s a lot going on tonight: senior night, the ’96 recognition … it’s a different atmosphere,” he said. “It’s always interesting when you have extra stuff — see where the energy’s at.”

Thomas added that mistakes played a role. “We had probably five errors last night; we haven’t had five errors in three weeks, so tonight was probably a little holdover from the tough loss.”

In the fourth, Linn scored its second run. Aaron Starke (1-3) doubled to right field to begin the inning, and Craig Laughlin (1-2) singled to push his teammate to third.

With one out, Laughlin advanced to second on a passed ball, and Nash Tyree’s groundout plated Starke.

Crede (single) and Wieberg teamed up again for another two-run strike as the latter hit his second round-tripper, this time to left field. That gave the Comets a 5-2 lead, but they weren’t done.

After Blake Kliethermes (1-3) drew a walk, he stole second, and Heisler joined him on a one-out walk. Kliethermes moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a line drive by Tyler Bexten (1-4, RBI) to center field.

In the fifth, the Comets put the game to bed, so to speak, with two more runs. After Henry Robertson (2-4, double) singled, Crede drilled a double to right field with one out to plate Robertson. Linn chose to intentionally walk Wieberg.

Crede was caught trying to steal third, but Kliethermes and Scheulen each singled, with the former scoring on the throw for the final 8-2 tally.

Linn had chances to get the offense going, but couldn’t put the pieces together. “Offense is lacking a little bit,” said Coach Thomas. “We’ve got to get out of the valley right now. You have two good ball teams — one team had a very, very good day, and another team had an average day. The average day will always lose to a very good day.”

Bexten started the game for Fatima and went five innings, allowing one earned run on four hits, with seven strikeouts and three walks. Crede (1 strikeout, no hits or runs over one inning) and Heisler (3 strikeouts, no hits or runs over one inning) combined for a solid outing. “That was planned-ish based on pitch counts,” said VanGerpen. “After the first inning, Tyler got settled in a little bit and was able to start pitching instead of throwing. Once he got to the point where he could spot his fastball inside, outside, up, and down, and then we could mix in the off-speed, then he was starting to get weaker contact. He still gave up a couple of hits, but they’re weak. Tyler minimized damage when he did allow base runners.”

VanGerpen added that in the innings in which Linn scored, it could have been worse. “Tyler did a good job of keeping his composure and keeping us in it, and just minimizing damage,” he said. “Jackson and Tommy did a good job in their innings, too. Pitching did their job. It could have been a little bit better, sure, but our defense was the main factor.”

Thomas agreed. “They put the ball in play a little bit more aggressively, with a little bit more authority than we did today,” he said. “We just couldn’t catch up.”

Both coaches acknowledged the need for consistency.

“It’s a little bit of, you know, baseball is a game of ebbs and flows,” said Thomas. “Yesterday was defensive. Today, we played a clean defensive game. We threw enough strikes — we just didn’t hit with them.”

VanGerpen added, “I just need them to keep the floor and not retreat to valleys; we need consistency.”

Dawson Sprenger also had a hit for Linn.

On the mound for the Wildcats, P. Peters allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits with seven strikeouts and four walks over 4.1 innings. Starke closed the game with an earned run on four hits, with a strikeout and a walk.

In the JV game, Fatima won 5-2 as Evan Koenigsfeld (2 doubles) and Sam Haller posted two hits apiece, while Eli Libbert (double), Will Borgmeyer, and Nico Bax added one hit each.

On the mound, Trent Stuckenschneider started the game and went three innings. He allowed no hits or runs and struck out three. Grant Kliethermes, in three innings, allowed two earned runs on five hits, with two strikeouts and a pair of walks, and in an inning of work, J. Wieberg struck out one with no hits or runs.

Sprenger led the Wildcats with two hits and an RBI, as Jax Kubiak posted a hit and drove one in, and Tyree and Kempker each added a single.

Tyree went three innings, with two earned runs on four hits, five strikeouts, and three walks; Kubiak allowed three earned runs on three hits, with two strikeouts and two walks in one inning.

On Wednesday, the Comets lost 6-5 to Blair Oaks on the road.

Wieberg (2-4, HR, 2 RBI) led the offense, as Kliethermes (HR, 3 RBI), Mason Bax (double), Crede, and Huhn added a hit apiece.

Kliethermes allowed no runs on two hits, with seven strikeouts and four walks over five innings. Wieberg, in an inning of work, allowed two earned runs on three hits, with a strikeout, and in two-thirds of an inning, Heisler struck out one and gave up a hit but no runs.

Linn, meanwhile, entered the game after a 4-3 loss to California. The Wildcats were led by P. Peters, who posted a double, and Tyree, who delivered a single and two RBI.

Sprenger allowed one earned run on three hits while striking out six and walking two in four innings. G. Peters closed out the game, allowing no earned runs on four hits, with three strikeouts and a walk.