With offensive firepower just pouring out of the Free State High baseball team, it seems a good pitching performance can just about tally up a win for the team in green most every time.

Add Wednesday’s regional championship game at Free State to the long list of examples.

Third baseman Tyler Blankenship, left, trips over his brother, pitcher Travis Blankenship, while attempting to field a bunt.

As good as Free State’s bats were in a 2-0 day at regionals, Max Ellenbecker’s effectiveness on the hill probably made the difference. The junior pitched a gem against Lawrence High in the championship game, leading his team to a 7-4 victory and an invitation to the Kansas Class 6A state baseball tournament next week.

LHS and Free State met in the final game Wednesday, after the Lions beat Topeka, 7-0, and Free State clobbered Emporia, 10-2, in the first round of regionals.

Once the city showdown began, Ellenbecker simply shined. For five innings, he didn’t allow a hit. He ended up pitching 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven, allowing just two hits and earning the biggest victory of the year for the Firebirds, now 18-3 and heading to state for the second straight season.

“I was trying to get ahead of hitters and throw pitches for strikes,” Ellenbecker said. “The defense was making plays, so it was kind of easy.”

Seemed to be. Lawrence High (9-11) had trouble hitting anything crisp off Ellenbecker for the first five innings. Its lone run before the sixth came off a Carl Lisher walk and two errors that brought him around. That run tied the score at 1-all, but the FSHS offensive factory was just starting to churn.

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Free State added two runs in the top of the third on a two-run single by Brett Lisher, and scored three more in the fourth on sacrifice flies by Anthony Dreiling and Robby Price and an RBI single by Ryne Price.

By then it was 6-1, and despite a gutsy rally in the sixth that knocked a tired Ellenbecker out and put three runs on the board for LHS, Free State had no plans to blow the five-run lead.

“Free State’s not a team that you try to play catch-up with,” LHS coach David Petry said. “They’re just too potent in their lineup.”

Lawrence’s big knock was a two-run triple by sophomore Brian Heere in the sixth. Unfortuantely for the Lions, there weren’t too many more timely hits.

“It’s been a frustrating season from a won-loss standpoint,” Petry said. “But our kids never gave up. We’ve lost nine games this year by less than three runs. For whatever reason, we couldn’t find a way to get it done.”

Dejected Lawrence High baseball players head off the field after a 6-4 loss to Free State in the regional championship game. The outcome Wednesday at Free State High sent the Firebirds to the Class 6A state baseball tournament and ended the Lions' season.

Free State had no home runs against Lawrence High, but did smack four against Emporia. Senior Tyler Blankenship had two solo shots, and Ryne and Robby Price each connected with runners on base.

It was just business as usual with the Firebird bats. They pounded out 21 hits in the two games, and a shiny regional champion plaque was the result.

Now, there’s one more plaque the Firebirds are after — the state champion one. Three victories next week at Hoglund Ballpark would give it to them.

“This team didn’t get together at the beginning of the year and say ‘We want to win the regional tournament,'” FSHS coach Mike Hill said. “What they want is to hoist the trophy in a week and a half. This was a step to get there.”

Free State High's Tyler Blankenship hoists the Firebirds' new hardware after the regional championship baseball game. Free State defeated Lawrence High, 7-4, Wednesday night at FSHS to earn a trip to the state tournament.