Lawrence High’s baseball team wasn’t messing around.

The Lions, who trailed early in their first two games of the River City Festival, scored four runs in the first inning on their way to an 8-4 victory Saturday against Shawnee Heights at Ice Field.

For a team that rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday, those four runs in the first were a relief.

“We were just fired up and ready to go,” senior Kyle McManness said. “We all just wanted to have the mind-set of getting ahead and staying ahead.”

Four of the Lions’ first five batters scored, giving pitcher Spence Chaney plenty of breathing room.

Chaney (2-0) struck out eight batters and allowed seven hits in the complete-game win. His curveball baffled the T-Birds early, and when he did make a mistake — Shawnee Heights junior John Rutherford’s two-run home run in the fourth brought the T-Birds to within three runs — he never faltered, retiring the side in the seventh inning.

“The biggest thing he had going for him was he was getting ahead of hitters and keeping the ball low,” LHS coach David Petry said. “He was able to throw his curve ball and changeup for strikes. When you do that, you don’t have to rely on just your fastball.”

The Lions kept the pressure on Shawnee Heights, adding one run in the second, two in the fourth and one in the sixth.

The fourth inning was the most impressive.

Junior Brett Urban ripped a double to the right center-field gap and McManness followed with a rope down the right-field line that kept on going for the first homer of his high school career.

“I really didn’t think it was gone,” he said. “I thought it was just gonna drop for a popout. But it just kept rising.”

Lawrence High's Taylor Martin, right, celebrates an LHS run in the first inning. The Lions beat Shawnee Heights, 8-4, Saturday at Ice Field.

It punctuated a feel-good win for LHS, which lost a doubleheader to Shawnee Heights last season.

Plus, the Lions (6-0) remained undefeated after impressive wins against Gladstone (Mo.) Winnetonka and St. Louis Chaminade Prep in the three-day event.

That was more than enough to put Petry in a good mood.

“When you can come out of this thing 3-0, you’ve got to like that,” he said. “There’s a lot of quality teams, and to win three games in three days you’re gonna go home and feel good about what you did. I know I will.”

The Lions travel Tuesday to Shawnee Mission South.

Lawrence High 8, Shawnee Heights 4

SH 001 210 0 — 4 7 4

LHS 410 201 x — 8 11 1

W–Spence Chaney; L–Brian Stroth.

2B–SH: Kevin Schmidt, Jake Artzer; LHS: Carl Lisher, Aaron Madill, Tommy Mangino, Taylor Martin, Ryan Rowland, Brett Urban (2). HR: SH: John Rutherford; LHS: Kyle McManness.

LHS highlights: Ryan Engel 2-4, 2 runs; Mangino 2-3, RBI; Urban 2-3, 2 runs.