Lawrence High’s softball squad lost to Shawnee Mission Northwest in 11 innings in the first game of a tornado-shortened, Senior Night doubleheader last week.

Monday, the Lions twisted things on the Cougars in only 10 innings.

LHS (10-8) rallied in the bottom of the 10th inning to hand the defending Class 6A state champion Cougars (16-2) just their second setback this season, 2-1, at Holcom Sports Complex.

The Lions also needed coaxing from team cook Wiley Burnett.

Wiley — the father of junior outfielder Lacey Burnett and chef in charge of Monday’s pre-planned celebratory team meal — had watched the Lions come up short on several scoring chances before the 10th inning.

But since he needed to leave to start the burgers and hot dogs, Wiley offered an ultimatum: no win, no food.

So Jenny Narcomey started things off with a single.

“You must be hungry,” Wiley said, with a whistle after Narcomey’s hit off SMNW reliever Courtney Rader, who was filling in for an injured Lauren Young.

As it turns out, she was.

“He was just trying to rev me up, but it worked,” Narcomey said.

Wiley used the same shtick for shortstop Jenni Morrell.

Lawrence High's Shannon Worley takes a cut at the softball. LHS beat Shawnee Mission Northwest, 2-1, Monday at Holcom Sports Complex.

“Time for dinner!” he shouted.

After missing on two bunt attempts, Narcomey stole second on a bobbled ball. Then Morrell made it to first on a misplayed shot in the infield.

With runners on first and second, the grill — err, game — was in the bag. Freshman Drew Huff then drilled a grounder toward left-center field that skipped under the shortstop’s glove and Narcomey easily scored.

“We were all kind of excited for afterwards,” Huff said. “Plus, we needed to get it done in the 10th and not the 11th, because that’s when they won it last time.”

LHS coach Reenie Stogsdill doubted the determining factor was the food, but she said: “We’ll take whatever works.”

Especially since the Lions head into today’s 3:30 city showdown against Free State at FSHS Field.

“Sometimes it can be a negative,” Stogsdill said of having to play a big game after playing the day before. “But I’m going to look at it as a positive for us tomorrow.

“It’s not only the win. But we had a chance to beat the defending state champs twice and we did it once. That’s not bad, and that gives us the kind of confidence to play with anyone.”

Stogsdill, however, said her team had to score more runs, something the Lions didn’t do Monday.

Unlike last Thursday, when the two teams needed 11 innings to tally two runs in SMNW’s 2-0 win, each team scored in the first Monday, but that was it.

Lawrence left a runner on base in each of the first three innings and stranded five more runners during innings 6-9.

“We had good shots,” Stogsdill said.

So did SMNW (16-2), but the Lions, and relief pitcher Whitney Juneau survived — before serving themselves something spicy in the 10th.