The Fatima Comets were strong on the mound Friday in their two games at the Capital City Invitational.
They just didn't get the offense to match that effort in the nightcap.
The Comets split their two games Friday, defeating Lutheran: St. Charles 4-1 in the afternoon before falling 3-0 to Helias in the second contest at the American Legion Post 5 Sports Complex.
Ethan Backes was the starter and winner in the first game. The sophomore pitched six innings, scattering three hits and three walks while striking out five.
"He threw really well," Fatima coach Scott Kilgore said.
Backes worked out of trouble in the first when the top two Cougar batters reached on a hit-by-pitch and a walk. But a nifty double play helped the Comets get out of the inning.
The Comets took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Drew Bax reached on a fielder's choice and stole second before scoring on an infield error.
The Cougars tied it with their only run of the game in the fourth on a two-out double by Josh Barclay.
Fatima took the lead with two runs in the sixth. Bax led off with a bloop single to right and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Gage Bax then singled to put runners on the corners. One out later, back-to-back singles by Backes and Austin Wegman drove home runs to make it 3-1.
The Comets added an insurance run in the seventh. Drew Bax reached on a two-out error and scored on a double by Gage Bax.
Wegman set down the Cougars in order in the seventh.
In the nightcap against Helias, Fatima just couldn't get the big hit to break onto the scoreboard.
"They got the timely hits and we didn't," Kilgore said. "We had some opportunities, it just didn't work out for us. It's baseball."
The Comets left the bases loaded in the top of the first. A walk, single and walk - all with one out - gave the Comets a chance to break ahead early. But a strikeout and groundout ended the threat.
"When you play Fatima, you know you are going to get a very good game and our games with them are always good," Helias coach Chris Wyrick said. "They always do things right and you have to play well if you're going to beat them.
"We like playing them and I hope they like playing us."
Fatima stranded two more runners in the third and had another good scoring chance in the sixth when Drew Bax and Gage Bax led off with singles. They moved up a base on a ground out, but a strikeout and ground out ended the inning.
"You'd like to scratch a couple across, it just didn't happen," Kilgore said.
Josef Keilholz was the tough-luck losing pitcher for Fatima. The junior tossed a four-hitter, walking four and striking out four.
Fatima (2-5) will face Blair Oaks (4-5) in the fifth-place game at 1:15 p.m. today at the Legion Complex.