The Fatima Comets didn't know what to expect from the O'Hara Celtics. Meeting for the second time in less than two weeks, the Comets knew what to expect from the Helias Crusaders.
Not knowing, knowing the final result turned out the same in the end Saturday at the American Legion Post 5 Sports Complex in Jefferson City.
The Comets dominated against the Celtics, winning 17-7 in five innings, before scoring single runs in four innings in taking a 4-2 decision against the Crusaders to extend its winnings streak to seven games.
"We're playing good baseball and I hope we can keep doing that," Fatima coach Scott Kilgore said.
Logan Bexten kept the Helias bats in check in the second game. He went the distance, not allowing a hit until the fourth inning before finishing with a five-hitter. Bexten walked one and struck out six.
"What an effort," Kilgore said. "He didn't have too many hiccups, he stayed in the strike zone and didn't let anything really affect him, he stayed focused.
"That's all you can really ask from a pitcher."
The Comets scored single runs in the first, third and fourth innings to take a 3-0 lead.
In the first, Jonathon Backes' two-out single drove home Skyler Dickneite, who had walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch.
In the third, Josef Keilholz led off with an infield single and came home to score on a double by Steven Brandt.
In the fourth, Bexten hit a one-out single and later scored on a balk with the bases loaded.
Helias scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to cut Fatima's lead to 3-2. The Comets added an insurance run in the seventh when Drew Bax reached on an error, advanced to third on a Jacob Crede single before scoring when the ball was bobbled in the outfield.
Fatima defeated Helias 3-0 on March 21 in Westphalia.
"For us to win twice against them is a great accomplishment," Kilgore said. "We're playing good baseball and I hope we can keep doing that.
"There's a lot left to accomplish, you don't want to be playing your best baseball in late March or early April and there are a lot of things we can still improve on."
The Comets were never in danger of dropping their opener against the Celtics (0-6) from Kansas City. It was the first, and last, time the two programs will play as O'Hara is closing at the end of this school year.
After Fatima scored twice - and left the bases loaded - in the top of the first, the Comets sent 14 batters to the plate in a 10-run second. The top three Fatima batters in the order had three at-bats through two innings.
The Comets added three runs in the third to extend its advantage to 15-0.
O'Hara got a run in the third before Fatima plated two in the fourth to make it 17-1. The Celtics closed the scoring with five runs in the fourth and one in the fifth.
The biggest positive from the game for the Comets may have been getting a pair of junior varsity pitchers some experience on the varsity level.
"It was good to get them in, they're first varsity outing is over and there should be no more jitters," Kilgore said.
Fatima finished with 19 hits. Cole Mertens led the way with three. Six other Comets - Keilholz, Dickneite, Backes, Crede, Tyler Wolfe and Bexten - had two each.
Crede totaled four RBI, while Dickneite had three.
"We got a lot of runs on hits, not errors, so that's a plus," Kilgore said.
Dickneite was the starter and winner.
"This is a good squad, they play hard, they don't let much affect them," Kilgore said. "We didn't know what to expect after graduation, it was a big class with a lot of our top arms and offensive players.
"But these guys have come out and played hard, they worked hard in the weight room and it's showing."
Fatima (7-1) will host St. Elizabeth on Monday.