It just wasn’t a good day for the Free State High baseball squad Thursday at Hoglund Ballpark.

The Firebirds had batters hit by pitches – Lorenzo Ricketts was plunked in consecutive at-bats – and Travis Ice was knocked off second base as a Shawnee Mission North baserunner slid in high to break up a double play.

Then the final score really hurt the Firebirds – they fought back but fell, 6-4, in 10 innings at the River City Festival.

“We didn’t take care of business, and give credit to Shawnee Mission North because they took advantage of the opportunities we gave them, and that was true there again in the last inning with the balk call,” FSHS coach Mike Hill said of a balk by Scott Heitshusen that forced in the winning run.

Free State’s six hits came from only three batters. Brett Lisher had two doubles, Robby Price rapped two singles and Ben Wilson – who was replaced at DH by Hunter Scheib in the fifth inning – had one of each.

“It was a pretty bad performance on our part. We didn’t do anything to deserve to win it,” Price said.

The Firebirds faced a familiar foe on the rubber in Zack Gabriel, who held them to two runs in the teams’ previous meeting. And, just as he did in the first meeting, he baffled Free State’s batters.

“He was fantastic. I compliment that young man. He threw with guts,” Hill said. “He’s not necessarily overpowering by any stretch of the imagination, but I thought the young man was fantastic, and we saw him for 16 innings, and we didn’t do much to him in those 16.”

Free State starter Travis Blankenship spotted the Indians two runs in the first inning but clamped down after that. He relinquished the duties to Heitshusen in the fifth with a one-run lead.

After giving up a run in the fifth and another in the sixth, the Firebirds provoked extra innings with an RBI by Lisher that brought home John Sneegas.

“We showed a little bit of heart, but we shouldn’t have been down early. A couple of pitches were up, we didn’t make a few plays, a lot of mental mistakes today. They deserved to win, and that’s why they beat us,” Price said.

Free State will head back today to Hoglund in a matchup with Grandview, Mo., scheduled for 5:30.

SM North 6, Free State 4, 10 innings

SM North 200 011 000 2-6 11 3

Free State 011 100 100 0-4 6 1

W-Kevin Duncan. L-Scott Heitshusen. S-Scott Keener.