Needing two runs to keep the run rule from prematurely ending its game with Olathe South on Thursday, Free State High’s baseball team put its first two batters on base in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Firebirds (6-7) scored just one run, though, before losing, 13-3, to the Falcons at FSHS field.

“We can’t sustain things offensively,” Firebirds coach Mike Hill said. “We can’t string it together. We talk about the crooked inning putting up more than one run but we just can’t do that right now. You put the lead-off guy on and you want things to happen. It’s just a matter of not being able to not put things together offensively.”

Free State put the leadoff man on base in each of the final four innings, but scored just single runs in the third, fifth and sixth.

The third inning could have been the start of something for the Firebirds, who were trailing 6-0. Tyler Blakenship led off with a single and scored on a fielder’s choice by Cassidy Thompson, but Matt Lane struck out with the bases loaded to end the threat.

“It is a big hole mentally, but you have to be tough enough to come through that,” Hill said of the six-run deficit. “We’ve seen it work the other way. We were up 9-0 earlier in the year and held on for a 9-8 win. That’s part of athletics, and you’ve got to be able to deal with that.”

After the Falcons scored two runs in the top of the fourth, Jeremiah Gress led off the bottom of the inning with a single, but Chris Coleman grounded into a double play and the Firebirds failed to score.

Kyle Unruh did push across a run for Free State in the fifth, singling home David Arndt with one out, but Thompson was thrown out trying to advance to third and Matt Lane ended the inning with a ground out.

Olathe South scored five runs in the top of the sixth to take a 13-2 lead.

The inning was highlighted by a two-run single by Devin Rhodes and a two-run double by pinch hitter Tim Gottschalk.

Gress walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh, and Coleman’s single moved him to second, but Blakenship popped out to first baseman Andy Viebrock and David Allen flew out to center field.

Olathe South reliever David Nemecheck threw high on a pickoff attempt at first, allowing Gress to score and Coleman to advance to third, but Arndt flew out to right field to end the game.

“They’re a good team and they put pressure on us,” Hill said, “and when we get down it limits some things we’d like to do offensively, but we’ve still got to deal with it and we have to learn to deal with those things.”

Free State will play host to Lawrence High at noon Saturday in a non-Sunflower League game, but Hill is more worried about getting his own team back on track than he is about the cross-town foe.

“We want to get better,” Hill said. “We’re worried about what goes on in our dugout, and can we improve and take the weaknesses we have as a team and improve upon them? I think we’ll get maximum effort I know we’re going to get it from the other dugout and let’s hook it up and see what happens.”

Olathe South 13, Free State 3

Olathe South 033 205 13 11 2

Free State 001 011 3 6 3

WPDan Britton. LPKyle Unruh.

2BOlathe South: Andy Viebrock, Tim Gottschalk.

Free State highlights: Jeremiah Gress, 2-for-2, run; Tyler Blakenship, 2-for-3, run.