On Monday, Matt and Jay Armbrister met with members of the Lawrence High baseball team to discuss their father, the late Gale Armbrister, and his love for game.

Today, LHS hopes to honor Armbrister by lighting up the new scoreboard named in his honor like a pinball machine.

Following a 5 p.m. ceremony to christen the Ice Field addition, the Lions will play Free State in the first of two crosstown clashes this season.

“You tell everybody it’s no different than every other game, but it is,” said LHS coach Brad Stoll, a longtime Free State assistant before switching sides last season.

“We’ve got a good scouting report. … We’ve been around the kids a long time. That’s definitely an advantage for us. Does that translate into a win? I don’t know. We’ll see.”

LHS (4-3) enters today’s showdown looking to avenge last season’s loss – the teams played only once in 2005 when rain washed out the second meeting at Kansas University’s Hoglund Ballpark.

More important than city pride, however, is the Lions’ determination to end a current two-game slide that includes tight losses to Shawnee Mission West and Tulsa (Okla.) Kelley.

“Coach always preaches to play against the ball, don’t worry about who you’re playing against,” said LHS senior Brian Heere, a center fielder who has signed to play next season at Kansas University. “Of course, it will be tough playing against Free State.”

Stoll will turn to senior left-hander Daren Parker (1-0, 4.08 earned-run average) in hopes of silencing the Firebirds’ powerful lineup.

“He’s a typical left-hander to begin with. He’s a little squirrely, but we all love him,” Stoll said. “He works fast, he throws strikes and he’s competitive.

“He knows he’s going to have a solid defense behind him. Hopefully, we can get him some runs on the board.”

Free State (6-1) enters today’s contest smarting from its first loss of the season, a 6-4 setback Thursday to Shawnee Mission Northwest.

“Baseball is a game of consistency, and one of the best ways to be consistent is to maximize winning streaks and minimize losing streaks,” said Hill, adding he was anxious to see how his quad “handles failure for the first time.”

Free State’s return to winning baseball will depend on a cast of characters, especially pitchers. With three games this week, Hill didn’t reveal who will start against the Lions, instead holding firm to a plan to use an assortment of arms.

“We’re still trying to figure some things out,” Hill said. “It’s only seven games into the schedule, and we still have some questions to answer.”