Brett Lisher could only shake his head and laugh at teammate Tyler Knight’s bomb over the left-field fence in the bottom of the fourth inning Wednesday night at Free State High School.

Just before Knight’s blast, Lisher hit what appeared to be a home run, but his shot bounced off the fence for a double.

Knight followed with a no-doubt-about-it shot off the scoreboard in left.

“I think he thought I showed him up,” a smiling Knight said.

It was just that kind of night for the Raiders, who for once didn’t have to rally for victory against a Manhattan squad that already had played them tough three times this season.

This time, Lawrence secured a 13-3 run-rule victory in eight innings.

“We’re really playing solid right now,” said Raiders coach Kevin Tucker, whose 22-5 team played for the first time Wednesday since returning from a Legion tourney in Bartlesville, Okla.

“I hope we can get on a big-time roll at just the right time,” continued Tucker, whose squad has been stopped only twice in its last 10 games.

Raiders third baseman Cory Cooper throws a runner out at first base during the sixth inning of the Raiders' 13-3 victory over Manhattan. The Raiders claimed the run-rule-shortened victory Wednesday at Free State High.

Both setbacks came against Fort Smith, Ark., including a 4-2 loss in the championship game Monday.

“Those games were great tests for our team, because 11 of their 18 players were junior-college kids,” said Tucker, whose team could get another test when it takes the field tonight against Topeka 400.

Raiders pitcher Will Falk, who started strong Wednesday before having a few shaky innings, attributes the team’s success to a lack of tension.

“Everyone is just real good friends and gets along with each other great,” said the recent LHS graduate. “That really makes it easy to go out and play when you have no distractions.”

Raiders manager Kevin Tucker, left, congratulates Tyler Knight as Knight rounds third base after knocking a home run off the scoreboard in the Raiders' 13-3 victory over Manhattan. The Raiders won Wednesday at Free State High.

It certainly didn’t hurt that the Raiders’ bats pounded out 12 hits and that Manhattan had a few timely miscues.

The Raiders scored three runs in the second and four in the third.

Tommy Fitzgerald and Knight each had three RBIs, and pinch hitter Paul Metzler ended it early with a bases-loaded single in the eighth.

“Hopefully this team is starting to turn it on,” Knight said of the Raiders, who will play their zone tournament later this month in Pittsburg and could have a shot at going for their third consecutive Legion title in Emporia.

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