Fatima pitcher Brody Kleffner goes through his windup before delivering the ball to the plate during a game this season at Lions Field in Westphalia. (Greg Jackson/News Tribune)
The Fatima Comets are back in the baseball postseason for the first time in six years.
Fatima will begin its Class 3 state tournament this evening with a sectional game against the North Callaway Thunderbirds. First pitch is at 5 p.m. in Auxvasse.
Fatima (16-13) defeated Belle 2-0 in last Thursday's District 8 championship game at Belle. It is the Comets' first district title since 2019, when they finished runner-up in Class 3.
Bryce Wieberg led the Comets offensively during the district tournament, batting 4-for-8 with four RBI and two runs scored. Colten Scheulen had three hits, including a pair of solo home runs in the 13-2 district semifinal win against Dixon.
Brody Kleffner, who will play next season at Lincoln University, was the winning pitcher against Dixon. He had six strikeouts and no walk in five innings of the run-rule victory.
Blake Kliethermes, a returning all-state junior pitcher, threw 6 2/3 shutout innings in the district title game for the Comets. He struck out 12 batters and allowed just two hits and four walks.
The Comets are scoring 5.3 runs per game while giving up just an average of 2.8. The Thunderbirds are averaging 7.0 runs offensively and allowing just 2.8 per contest. Both teams are receiving votes in the Class 3 state rankings.
North Callaway (20-5) claimed its second straight district title last Wednesday with a 7-6 victory against South Callaway in the District 7 championship game.
The Thunderbirds scored 12 runs on 10 hits in their two games in the district tournament. Caleb Sheets had two hits, including a double, and four RBI, while Carson Bassett had a double, a triple and two RBI.
Keaton Bell scored three runs from the leadoff spot and also had a double.
Bell pitched in both district games. He was the winning pitcher against South Callaway, going five innings and giving up five runs on six hits with five walks and two strikeouts. He also recorded the final out of the 5-2 win against Centralia in the district semifinals to pick up the save.
Carter Moore pitched 6 2/3 innings against Centralia, striking out 10 batters while allowing two runs on six hits and three walks.
The winner of the Fatima-North Callaway game will take on either Priory (5-15) or Macon (18-5) in Thursday's state quarterfinal round. With a win, the Comets would host Priory or play at Macon, while the Thunderbirds would be on the road against either team.