It’s never fun to play baseball in conditions similar to a cold swamp.

Losing a four-run lead in the process makes things even more miserable.

Lawrence High had a day to file under “forget-about-it-and-move-on” Thursday, opening the River City Baseball Festival by losing a 7-3 lead against Kansas City (Mo.) Raymore-Peculiar, tying it on a clutch hit in the seventh before falling 12-9 in eight innings because of three unearned runs on a cold, rainy day at Ice Field.

The loss might have been easier for LHS coach David Petry to swallow if it only was a sporadic instance of a late-inning letdown.

It wasn’t, though.

“I don’t know what it is, to be honest with you,” Petry said. “I don’t know whether we have kids that are putting pressure on themselves. But time and time again, we seem to kick the ball around or throw the ball away or we can’t get a hit when we need it.”

The first two applied Thursday, with LHS committing four errors, including a costly one in the eighth. The Lions did have clutch hitting, though.

With no one on and two outs in the seventh, Carl Lisher reached base after getting plunked by Ray-Pec pitcher Brent LaMaster. Lisher’s courtesy runner, Marc Albers, stole second, then was driven in by senior Kyle Unruh’s single to center field.

That tied the score at 9 after Ray-Pec seemed in poised to escape with a victory.

Lawrence High infielder Brian Heere tags out Kansas City (Mo.) Raymore Peculiar's Andy Hilliard (3). The Lions lost, 12-9 in eight innings, during the River City Baseball Festival on Thursday at Ice Field.

The rally only delayed things, though. The Panthers (8-5) won it in the eighth, when senior Brian Zwarts drilled a three-run double to left-center field. Zwarts also homered and had six RBIs.

“Both teams came up with big hits in crucial situations, ” Ray-Pec coach Gary Renshaw said. “And as wet as the field was, I knew it would be tough to field the ball.”

The two teams combined for seven errors, but considering the conditions, the 25 hits might have been more startling. Lawrence had 12 of them, including a 3-for-4 performance by senior Brian Heere and two-hit games by Unruh, Lisher and Ryan Engel.

Unruh finished with three RBIs with a two-run single in the first inning and the clutch seventh-inning single.

“We got a big hit when we needed it, and that’s something we haven’t done all season long,” Petry said. “That’s another step in the right direction.”

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Finishing a game, though, is the big step Lawrence must take. Weather-permitting, the Lions are back in action today with a 12:30 p.m. game against Omaha (Neb.) Creighton Prep. The game will be at Hoglund Ballpark.

“Every time we take the field, we’re going against some tough competition,” Petry said. “We can’t afford to make mistakes or we’re going to get beat.”