Another showdown looms for LHS, FSHS

Outside of an instinctive desire to pound the cross-town rival, there’s not a whole lot riding on today’s baseball game between Lawrence High and Free State.

The Firebirds, at 16-3 overall and 10-1 in the Sunflower League, have clinched the league title for the second straight season. Today’s 5:30 p.m. non-league game at Hoglund Ballpark is the last tune-up before Class 6A regionals start next week, and the Firebirds likely will have a first-round game at home.

The game was moved Wednesday from Free State to Hoglund to avoid poor field conditions.

For the Lions, a consistently inconsistent 8-10 squad, a win today could give them a burst of confidence going into do-or-die baseball next week. It also could wrap up a good year for LHS in the intracity series.

Barring postseason run-ins, which always are possible, this will be the last city sports showdown of the school year. Lawrence High has the upper hand by a 10-6-1 count.

But one of Free State’s six victories came last month when the Firebirds kicked off an 11-game winning streak with a 10-4 victory over the Lions at Ice Field.

It’s at Free State this time, and the Firebirds are favored. But that never means all that much when these two tangle.

“When Free State and Lawrence High get together, it doesn’t really matter what the sport is,” LHS coach David Petry said. “It’s anybody’s guess who’s going to win that game.”

The Lions have struggled to string together victories since the beginning of the season, but had a solid effort Tuesday in beating Olathe East 7-0 in the second game of a doubleheader. A win today could do wonders for confidence heading into regionals next week.

LHS realizes, however, what it’s up against today.

“Offensive-wise, they spray the ball left and right and over the wall,” LHS senior Ryan Engel said.

“They can hit, and they can hit it well. They can hit it to where we’re not, and that’s a scary thing.”

Until Tuesday, Free State wasn’t seeing its best days. After pounding team after team during a great stretch in April, the Firebirds squeaked out a few victories before finally falling to Blue Valley North on Saturday. The loss may have cured the ills — the Firebirds crushed SM East 16-6 Tuesday to claim the league crown.

“We have been in a little bit of a funk,” FSHS coach Mike Hill said. “That’s going to happen in baseball. The key to winning in baseball is to ride the highs as long as you can go, and get out of the lows as quickly as possible.”

Thursday will be Red Cross Day at Free State. Admission to the game is free, but the FSHS girls swimming and diving team will collect donations from fans, with the proceeds going to the Red Cross. The goal is to have fans each contribute a dollar to the fund-raiser.