Second baseman Logan Vogel broke a 1-all tie with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, sending state-ranked Fatima to a 3-1 SMC win over the South Callaway Bulldogs on Tuesday night.
South Callaway - coming off a 7-6 setback at North Callaway on Monday night - suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season. The Bulldogs (12-4, 3-1 Show-Me Conference) have dropped three of their last four.
"We're coming up on the tail end of a pretty brutal two weeks," South Callaway head coach Heath Lepper said. "Arms are fatigued and the kids are mentally and physically tired."
Fatima - ranked No. 2 in Class 3 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association - pulled out the victory despite being out-hit 5-4 and committing six errors.
The Comets went on top with a run in the first, but South Callaway pulled even by countering with its only run in the second on freshman left fielder Kaden Helsel's RBI single. Third baseman Matt Temmen singled to left to start Fatima's fifth, moved up on a sacrifice and with two outs, scored on Vogel's homer to left.
Senior third baseman Tyler Adams finished 1-for-3, scored the Bulldogs' run and had a stolen base, while Kaden Helsel, senior shortstop Dax Helsel and junior right fielder Dillon Stone were each 1-for-3. Senior center fielder Cory Hanger was 1-for-4 with a double.
Senior starter Terry Miles was pinned with the loss for South Callaway, allowing three earned runs in six innings. Miles walked five and struck out two.
"He just left a pitch up a little bit (on Vogel's home run), and a good batter put a good swing on it," Lepper said. "Other than that, Terry pitched a great game. He pitched well enough to get a win and I feel bad for him."
The Bulldogs host a doubleheader against Blair Oaks (10 a.m.) and Iberia (2 p.m.) on Saturday.