Move over, Honus Wagner.

Ashley Wagner performed like a Hall of Famer on Tuesday, helping propel Free State High into the Class 6A state softball tournament for the first time.

Free State pitcher Ashley Wagner winds up against Washburn Rural. Wagner won both games as a pitcher and went 5-for-7 as a batter for the state-tournament-bound Firebirds.

Wagner, a senior right-hander, was the winning pitcher in both games as the Firebirds edged Lawrence High, 4-3, then pounded No. 1 seed Washburn Rural, 10-3, in the 6A sub-state at Rural’s field.

Wait, there’s more.

Wagner went 5-for-7 at the plate, including a two-run homer against the Lions, with a pair of doubles and drove in five runs.

“Ashley Wagner was hot, hot, hot today,” Free State coach Pam Pine said. “She’s been struggling. She was really down on herself, but they couldn’t get her out today.”

For her part, Wagner was just happy to be a part of the first Free State softball team to qualify for the state tournament. Heck, this also is the first softball team in the school’s eight-year history to post a winning record.

The Firebirds will take a 13-9 record into next weekend’s 6A state tourney at Clinton Lake Softball Complex.

“It’s big,” Wagner said. “We thought we could do it last year, but we couldn’t get it done. The key today was pitching the ball down and working with the wind.”

Free State High seniors, from left, Jamie Stanclift, Ashley Wagner and Chloe Hall lead the Firebirds as they prepare to receive the sub-state championship trophy. Free State beat Lawrence High, 4-3, and No. 1-seeded Washburn Rural, 10-3, Tuesday in Topeka to advance to state.

The insidious southerly gale blowing to left field almost was a factor in what may have been the most pivotal play of the afternoon.

In Tuesday’s opener matching the fourth-seeded Firebirds and the fifth-seeded Lions, Wagner seemingly was in command going into the seventh inning with a 4-1 lead.

But the Lions battled back. Sam Hays’ single drove in one run, and the Lions had the bases loaded with two outs when Lauren Kelly singled to left — her third hit of the day — scoring another run.

Momentarily, Hays rounded third and headed for home with the potential tying run. Left fielder Chloe Hall’s throw into the teeth of the wind was caught by catcher Allie Hock, who applied the tag on the bang-bang play.

Out, signaled the umpire.

6Sports video: Free State softball headed for state

“Chloe made a great throw,” Pine said, “but I didn’t think it was ever going to get there because of the wind.”

Lions’ coach Reenie Stogsdill didn’t hesitate in sending Hays to the plate.

“It was going to take a perfect throw and a perfect tag to get her,” Stogsdill said. “Give Free State credit. They made the play. Defensively, they played the best I’ve ever seen them play.”

Lawrence High outhit the Firebirds, 9 to 6, but Free State turned a pair of double plays behind Wagner and added two more against Rural.

Free State High's softball team poses for pictures with its new hardware. The Firebirds won their Class 6A regional championship, beating Washburn Rural, 10-3, Tuesday at Topeka.

Pine did not start Wagner on the mound against the Junior Blues, opting for junior Summer Mulford. But Rural jumped to a 3-1 lead against Mulford, and Pine replaced her with Wagner with two outs in the second.

Meanwhile, the Firebirds couldn’t seem to solve Rural right-hander Nichole Perkuhn, who had allowed only two baserunners in the Junior Blues’ earlier 2-0 victory over No. 8 seed Leavenworth.

Wagner drove in Jamie Stanclift to give the Firebirds a 1-0 lead in the first, but Perkuhn fanned two in that inning and struck out the side in the second.

But Free State struck for four runs in the third on four hits, including Stanclift’s two-run single and an RBI double by Wagner, to grab a 5-3 lead.

Wagner singled in another run in the fourth, then the Firebirds’ iced it with a three-run fifth that featured a two-run triple by Hall and an RBI single by Livi Abney, who had three singles.

Meanwhile, on the mound, Wagner allowed only two hits in her 5 1/3 innings of relief work.

Now, the Firebirds are headed for uncharted territory.

“I was kind of hoping for next weekend off before summer leagues begin,” Wagner said, “but this is better than summer leagues.”

The euphoria hadn’t worn off even as the Firebirds waited to board their vans to return to Lawrence.

“It feels so good,” junior catcher Hock said in the parking lot. “It’s such a rush.”