Fatima’s long week of baseball came to an end with some small ball.
The Troy-Buchanan Trojans had three bunt singles in the first four batters in the top of the eighth inning Saturday afternoon to spark a 7-4 victory against the Comets in the 11th-place game of the Jays Baseball Classic at Vivion Field.
“They needed to score runs, they had the situation set up perfectly,” Fatima coach Tyler VanGerpen said. “Why stop if we can’t?”
Fatima, playing its sixth game in six days, scored all four of its runs after two outs with nobody on in the bottom of the third inning.
“In this tournament, it seems like we score in bunches,” VanGerpen said. “We’ve got to find the ability to score in nearly every inning instead of relying on that one big inning.”
Max Stuecken started the rally with a walk before scoring on a double to right-center by Jacob Schulte for the first run of the game. Easton Stuckenschneider followed with a double to left-center to score Schulte.
Max Buscher and Matt Robertson then hit consecutive RBI singles to make it 4-0.
Troy came back with two runs in the top of the fourth, then tied it with two more in the fifth.
The Comets put runners at the corners with two outs in the bottom of the fifth before a groundout ended the threat. Fatima had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh.
Stuckenschneider led off with an infield single to the hole at short. Buscher laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to second. A wild pitch advanced the runner to third before Robertson walked to put runners on the corners.
Troy moved its infield and outfield defense in. A fly to short center was the second out before another fly to center ended the inning.
“We preach to the guys put it on the ground, make them earn it,” VanGerpen said. “But the results aren’t quite matching it.”
Lance Stuckey of the Trojans led off the top of the eighth with a bunt single before a hit-batter put runners at first and second. Nate Berkemper bunted down the third-base line to load the bases.
As the Fatima defense charged for another bunt, Cam Casso then pushed the ball deep into the infield where the second baseman had been standing to score Stuckey. The Comets got an out at the plate on the play as a second runner attempted to score.
Carson Twellman then singled to left to make it 6-4. Casso came around to score on the play when Fatima tried to get Twellman out at first after he rounded the bag.
Fatima went down in order in the bottom of the eighth.
Noah Jaegers pitched the first 42/3 innings for Fatima. He allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out two. Conner Bax, pitching for the second straight day, took the loss in relief. He pitched 21/3 innings, giving up a run on three hits and a walk while recording three strikeouts.
“He did his job, he battled and kept us in it,” VanGerpen said.
Blake Gentges came on two batters into the eighth inning, allowing two runs on four hits.
Fatima finished with a record of 1-3 in the tournament and 3-3 mark in its six-game week.
“It was rough, we showed some good and a lot of bad,” VanGerpen said of the the Comets’ play in the Classic. “Based on the talent we have, it should have been better.
“It’s been a taxing week.”
Fatima (7-5) is back in action Tuesday at Eugene in a Show-Me Conference contest.