Bad weather looked to be brewing once again during the River City Baseball Festival on Thursday night.

After two days of the event were rained out a year ago, rain pounded surrounding communities Thursday night. The only storm to strike Kansas University’s Hoglund Ballpark, though, was that from Free State High’s bats.

The Firebirds had a season-best night at the plate, launching three home runs while recording double-digit hits. From there Free State pitcher Travis Blankenship took care of the mound duties when he limited Omaha (Neb.) Creighton Prep to one run on three hits — and Free State scored an impressive 11-1 run-rule shortened victory over the defending state champs in Nebraska’s largest class.

“You don’t ever walk out there and think that you’re going to run-rule a team with as much tradition and talent as Creighton Prep,” Free State coach Mike Hill said. “At the same time, though, I don’t want to sell our kids short. When we come to play as we did tonight, I think we’re pretty darn tough.”

The Firebirds proved that in the first inning.

Robby Price led off with a walk and Anthony Dreiling made sure the KU baseball coach’s son would score when he smashed a solid home run to the trees in left field.

Two batters later, Firebird Jake Hoover entered the hit party with an equally impressive solo shot to left center.

“I think there was a lot of adrenaline flowing at the start,” Hoover said of the Firebirds, who improved their season mark to 8-2. “Everyone was really fired up to play at KU. And, going against a team with as much tradition as they have, can’t help but raise the energy level.”

Unfortunately for the Junior Jays, they didn’t match the intensity of Kansas Class 6A’s state runner-ups.

Free State High's Jake Hoover, left, is congratulated by teammates Lorenzo Ricketts (12), Travis Ice (13) and Anthony Dreiling after Hoover's solo home run in the first inning against Omaha (Neb.) Creighton Prep. The Firebirds rolled in Thursday night's River City Baseball Festival game at Hoglund Ballpark, 11-1.

Creighton Prep committed six costly errors and trailed 9-0 — thanks in part to another two-run homer to right by Max Ellenbecker — after three innings.

Through the fourth Blankenship was tossing a perfect game before walking a Jay.

The next inning Creighton Prep, which returned a handful of starters from last year’s championship squad, got its first hit and only run.

“I felt pretty good out there tonight, but it definitely was easier because we got those early runs,” said Blankenship, who struck out seven Prep players.

“This was a big time win for us. We are trying to take this three-game weekend as a model for what we hope to be doing in May, which is winning three games at the state tournament.”

While Hill, whose squad will play its next game at 5:30 today against Chaminade Prep out of St. Louis at Hoglund, said his team’s big night really could be special if the Firebirds can parlay their super-sized stats into some more victories.

6Sports video: Firebirds cruise past Nebraska state champs

“Today was a good day to be a hitter in this ballpark, and we definitely stung the ball in the first three innings,” he said. “But that really only matters if we can match that kind of effort and intensity the next time we take the field.”