WARDSVILLE - The Blair Oaks Lady Falcons and Fatima Lady Comets took different approaches to hitting Thursday night.
Fatima played small ball, putting seven bunts in play and reaching base on four of them. That worked for a few innings, but in the end, Blair Oaks' grip-it-and-rip-it attack won out.
The Lady Falcons pounded out 17 hits against the Lady Comets and won 9-2 on Senior Night at the Falcon Athletic Complex.
"There were two opposing styles out there, and Fatima's very good at the short game," Blair Oaks coach Sharon Buschjost said. "They always have been. We did a really nice job of a grip-it-and-rip-it type thing, and we've got some hot hitters right now."
Blair Oaks had at least one hit in every inning, including seven in a five-run third inning that put the game away. The Lady Falcons scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, starting with Brooke Boessen crossing the plate after Fatima made a throwing error on a stolen-base attempt. Macyn Wilbers had an RBI single later in the inning to give Blair Oaks a 2-0 lead.
The Lady Falcons tacked on another run in the second inning, but the Lady Comets had an answer in the third. The first five Fatima batters reached base in the inning - three by way of a bunt - and cut the Blair Oaks lead to 3-2.
"The first time through the lineup, we didn't touch (Blair Oaks pitcher Makenna Kliethermes) a whole lot, so I thought we would start to bunt a little bit," Fatima coach Dana Scheppers said. "Then they started not making the plays when we were bunting, so we just kept bunting."
Fatima had the bases loaded with no outs in the third and threatened to take the lead. Then one play changed the momentum for both teams.
Morgan Laux hit a hard grounder right to Kliethermes, who fired the ball to catcher Nicole Otto for the force out at home and then on to Megan Mitchem at first base for the 1-2-3 double play. Kleithermes then got the next batter to ground out and end the inning.
"If we would have got a hit there, I think the momentum would have been in our direction," Scheppers said.
Blair Oaks sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the third and sprayed hits all across the outfield. Wilbers had an RBI double, Mackinnley Hamacher followed with an RBI single and Otto busted the game open with a two-run double down the left-field line.
Mitchem capped the five-run inning with an RBI double to make the score 8-2.
"I thought coming in that very next inning and adding to our lead, whatever momentum they had, it just kind of subdued it," Buschjost said.
Blair Oaks added its last run in the sixth inning when Wilbers scored on a groundout by Hamacher.
Wilbers went 4-for-4 and had two RBI, while Emilee Jones was 3-for-3 with three singles to lead Blair Oaks. Mitchem and Carli Buschjost each had one double and one single and Wilde added two singles.
For Fatima, Macy Berhorst had one double and Bridget Holterman had two singles. Ally Bonnot, Raegan Huhn and Kayla Ricks each had one single.
After a rocky third inning, Kleithermes settled down and retired Fatima in order in the fourth and fifth innings. She picked up the complete-game victory, allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.
Fatima started Bonnot in the circle. She took the loss, lasting 21/3 innings before she was relieved by Huhn. Bonnot allowed eight runs on 11 hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Huhn gave up just one run in 32/3 innings.
While Blair Oaks went with its No. 1 pitcher, Fatima chose not to go with its ace in Berhorst. The junior pitched 12 innings Monday in a 2-1 loss against Helias.
"There is strategy involved for both teams," Buschjost said about the pitching matchup. "It's strategy not necessarily focusing on Fatima, but strategy in the big picture of the season and postseason seeds that come into play. Both teams approach it differently for different reasons."
Blair Oaks has won its last three regular-season games against Fatima, but the Lady Comets have won their last two matchups against the Lady Falcons in the Class 3 sectional round the past two seasons.
If both teams win district titles next month, they would meet in the sectional round for a third straight year.
"When (the seniors) look at our team at the end of a season and where they want to be and where they want to finish, they have high expectations for themselves," Buschjost said. "If that means facing Fatima again, then they are definitely up to the challenge."
Blair Oaks (10-2) will play today in the Hickman Kewpie Classic, with games against Francis Howell at 4:30 p.m. followed by Rock Bridge at 6 p.m. Fatima (4-10) will play today in the Springfield Fastpitch Invitational.
Blair Oaks also won the JV game 7-1 to improve to 9-2 this season.
Meredith Eisterhold was the winning pitcher for the Lady Falcons. Torie Thurston and Ashley Fifer each had a single and two RBI.