Minor differences in mistakes determined North Callaway’s fate on Tuesday.

North Callaway vs Fatima Photo Gallery

The Thunderbirds hosted their second sectional game in as many years in Auxvasse but had this year end with a 4-0 loss to Fatima. North Callaway finished with two hits and struck out 10 times in 6⅔ innings against Brody Kleffner. 

Fatima (17-13) scored the first run in the fourth inning before plating three two-out runs in the sixth inning on back-to-back RBI hits by the Comets’ battery of Colten Schuelen and Kleffner. Head coach Kirt Kleindienst said North Callaway (20-6), meanwhile, couldn’t muster much offense against Kleffner.

“On a guy like that, you’ve got to have full commitment with your plan from pitch one,” Kleindienst said. “It was to attack anything below your hands early because he throws a lot of strikes. Our problem really was honestly one of the same problems we’ve had all year. Whenever we were ready, we were actually kind of late. A few times when we were super ready, we would pull it foul.”

Kleindienst said the timing was never there against Kleffner and neither were many mistakes. When Kleffner missed his location, he would often miss out of the strike zone while North Callaway missed a few times in the zone.

“If we were in the zone where he was, we might be playing still,” Kleindienst said. “All of our misses were between belly button and thigh. All of his misses were between shin and mid-thigh. That’s eight inches of difference, and it’s four runs worth of difference for sure.”

Kleindienst joked he sure can “split hairs” when talking about his pitching because his own senior Carter Moore pitched well in his final 5⅔ innings of his high school career. Moore had six strikeouts, six walks, three hits and two earned runs that were allowed after he was taken off the mound. 

Moore pitched into some trouble, especially early in the game, but stranded nine Fatima runners. He was stingy with runs as he has been with allowing earned runs this season, going more than 30 innings at one point without allowing an earned run.

“That’s a hell of a lineup to face,” Kleindienst said. “He was up in the zone too often with his strikes today, but that’s splitting hairs. Otherwise, all he did was battle, and he was the Carter Moore we needed him to be to win.”

Kleindienst said Fatima was the team that made fewer mistakes on Tuesday and that frequently decides outcomes in the state tournament. While he stresses defensive errors, Kleindienst said these can include a variety of mistakes like when North Callaway took at least three called strike threes or had two runners picked off.

“There can’t be more than three mistakes,” Kleindienst said. “That number — three or less mistakes — you are right there to win it. Three or more, four or more I suppose, that’s that.”

"That’s that" held much meaning to Kleindienst as he gave goodbye hugs to his players, including his five seniors, after the game. Four of those seniors played for him when they were in youth ball with the Callaway Crew. 

Justice Moore was the only senior without that much history with Kleindienst, but Kleindienst said the first baseman played a major role in this season’s success. Moore made only his second error of the season on Tuesday after being an “old reliable” presence at the busy base.

“Justice Moore, I’m so proud of because that boy wouldn’t have been a first baseman two years ago if you had given me $1000,” Kleindienst said. “All he did was work on it. This season, he locked it up. The back half of our big plays were all in his glove. It’s one of my more proud things that he turned out to be a great first baseman.”

North Callaway finishes this season with a 20-6 to secure its first 20-win season since a 20-5 campaign in 2012. The Thunderbirds secured much more, including a second straight undefeated Eastern Missouri Conference championship and a second straight district championship to record the first back-to-back district titles in program history. 

Kleindienst said the loss to Fatima can’t be overlooked because that was the team’s first loss against a Class 3 school. North Callaway’s other five losses were against Class 4 schools that were either ranked at the time or at some point this season. 

“I’m going to miss it for a year,” Kleindienst said. “I’m going to miss those seniors forever.”