Free State High’s softball team fell victim to dominant pitching in Tuesday’s season-opening doubleheader against Shawnee Mission West at FSHS.

In the first game, Melissa Stevens allowed just one walk and struck out 16 in a 7-0 no-hit victory, and Jennifer Steffens surrendered just a single while winning the second game, 3-0.

“Their first pitcher is probably one of the better pitchers in the league and we just couldn’t get anything going,” FSHS coach Pam Pine said. “In the second game, I thought we did a little better making contact. We hit the ball hard several times but we couldn’t put anything together.”

After SM West went up 1-0 in the first inning of the first game, Amy Vormehr led off the bottom of the inning for the Firebirds (0-2) with a walk, but Stevens settled down to retire the next 21 batters.

SM West scored five runs in the third inning on two hits and three Firebird errors to put the first game away, and added a run in the fourth.

“I think it was some first-game jitters maybe defenisively,” Pine said of her team’s defensive problems in the third inning. “When it rained it poured in that inning. We had three errors in a row and that kills you. I thought we had some bright spots defensively, but they were kind of sporadic.”

In the second game, the Vikings scored a run in the first, another in the fourth on back-to-back doubles and a final run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly.

Katrina Morriss singled up the middle off Steffens in the third inning for the Firebirds only hit in the doubleheader. Ashley Wagner walked in the fifth inning for Free State’s only other baserunner.

Even though the Firebirds lost both games and struggled offensively, starting pitchers Felicia Freeman and Wagner allowed just four earned runs in the two games combined.

Free State will play host to Olathe North at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.

SM West 7, Free State 0

SM West 105 100 0 Â 7 6 0

Free State 000 000 0 Â 0 0 4

WPÂMelissa Stevens. LPÂFelicia Freeman (0-1).

2BÂSM West: Stevens.

SM West 3, Free State 0

SM West 100 110 0 Â 3 5 0

Free State 000 000 0 Â 0 1 0

WPÂJennifer Steffens. LPÂAshley Wagner (0-1).

2BÂSM West: Farrow, Stirton.