Following Free State High’s doubleheader split Thursday with Olathe North, FSHS coach Pam Pine said her team needed to establish a winning tradition before it could become a force in the Sunflower League.

Judging by how the season has gone so far, the Firebirds (5-5 overall, 2-3 Sunflower League) are close to a breakthrough. They’ve split three of their five twinbills against four of the top five teams in the league.

The Firebirds held off the Eagles (6-2, 2-2) on Thursday, 4-3, under steady rain in Game One, before dropping Game Two by the same score.

“The girls have been working really hard,” Pine said. “They just need to experience what winning is like. It’s something we’ve struggled with, so I hope this will give them some confidence. Our goal is to keep getting better each game and I think we’ve done that.”

North played textbook softball from the beginning. Mackenzi Magenheimer had a lead-off single, advancing on Ashley Hughes’ sacrifice bunt and Abby Hughes’ deep pop out. Magenheimer then scored on Nicole Rooney’s single up the middle.

Instead of flinching, the top-notch opponent and soggy weather seemed to fuel Free State’s fighting spirit. The Firebirds responded with four hits and three runs in the second. Allie Hoch led off with a single to left, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a passed ball. Chloe Hall singled to center. Then Tricia Dunham crushed a run-scoring double to right-center, followed by an RBI double by Aleese Kopf.

Free State pushed its lead to 4-1 when Emily Leiker walked and scored in the third. Then it was up to pitcher Ashley Wagner to preserve the lead. An error led to a run in the fifth and another in the seventh, but Wagner never faltered. She allowed just eight hits, struck out five and walked one in the victory.

“We knew that they had good hitters. We just didn’t know exactly who hit where,” Wagner said. “We controlled the game pretty well and the catchers called the games today which helped me get into my rhythm.”

Free State High shortstop Livi Abney can't apply the tag to Olathe North's Nicole Rooney. The Firebirds and Eagles split a softball doubleheader Thursday afternoon at FSHS with each team winning a game, 4-3.

Game Two was a pitcher’s duel for 21/2 innings as Free State’s Felicia Freeman and North’s Sam Evans were working on no-hitters. The Firebirds’ two-run third took care of that.

Brooke Abney walked and scored on Dacia Sprow’s single. Sprow then scored on Leiker’s double for a 2-0 FSHS lead. North ended Freeman’s no-hit bid in the fourth when Magenheimer led off with a triple and later scored on an error. Abby Hughes reached base on a fielder’s choice, stole second and tied the game on Rooney’s double.

Wagner singled and scored on Brooke Abney’s single in the fourth for a 3-2 Free State lead. That was the last hit Evans allowed. The Eagles scored a run in the fifth and another in the sixth for the win.

The Firebirds next play at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at home against Olathe Northwest.