Apparently, the Lawrence Raiders prefer shortening the number of innings they are regularly scheduled to play against their opponents.

This time it was a 17-0 victory after seven innings – instead of the regularly scheduled nine-inning affair – over Lansing in the American Legion zone tournament Thursday at Free State High.

“You know, we came to the yard, knew what we had to do, and we took care of business,” Raiders coach Troy Wingert said.

It wasn’t as though the Raiders were simply hitting everything thrown at them. There also was the fact the Cubs committed seven errors – including three in a seven-run first inning.

But when the Raiders did put the ball in play – and it wasn’t botched – they were spraying it all over the yard. And a handful of their 14 hits were for extra bases – three of which came from the bat of Brett Lisher, who went 5-for-6 with two doubles and a triple.

“We come out swinging every time – we’re never passive,” Lisher said. “At the beginning of the summer, we were kind of passive at the plate, but we picked it up, and every time we swing the bats good things happen for us because we’re always aggressive.”

The Lawrence Raiders' John Novotny, right, receives congratulations from a teammate after crossing home plate during the first inning of a game against the Lansing Cubs at the Legion zone tournament at Free State High. It was a familiar sight as the Raiders scored seven runs in the first on their way to a 17-0 victory Thursday in a game shortened to seven innings. See story on page 3C.

After being surprised by the offensive firepower of the Raiders in their 17-7 victory over Emporia to close the regular season, Raiders outfielder Tyler Knight could only smile after another explosion at the plate.

“It helps a lot when they keep the same guy in for seven innings, so, of course, doors will fly open eventually,” said Knight, who was 2-for-4 with a three-run double. “But, yeah, we’re still coming out strong. I don’t know how to say it – some guys are hitting it.”

While the Raiders were constantly hitting, the Cubs were constantly sitting – thanks to the pitching performance of Scott Heitshusen.

Heitshusen went the distance for the shutout and picked up 15 strikeouts in the process.

“On a night like tonight, I didn’t really have to use other pitches, all I had to do was throw my fastball to beat them,” said Heitshusen, who went 1-for-4 at the plate with a triple. “So I didn’t really have to do much other than that and just fill up the zone and let them work behind me when they had to.”

“When they had to” was an understatement, as there wasn’t a single out recorded in the outfield – the only out made in the air was a pop-up in the infield.

The Lawrence Raiders' Tyler Knight slides safely past Lansing shortstop Robert Lewis during the first inning. The Raiders advanced to the Legion zone tournament championship game with a 17-0 victory Thursday at Free State High.

“It’s good to see a guy dominate like that, but it’s not fun for us out in the outfield,” Knight said with a laugh. “You know, you get a little restless out there and actually wanted them to hit the ball. … But if he can keep his head focused, he can bring that into the state tournament.”

The Raiders will get another go at one of the two teams they already have faced in the zone tournament today with Lansing and Blue Valley Northwest vying for a spot in the championship game that’s scheduled for 7:45 tonight at Free State High. The winner of the Lansing-Blue Valley Northwest game will turn around and face the Raiders’ Max Ellenbecker along with the rest of Wingert’s pitching staff.

“It doesn’t matter to me who we play,” Knight said. “We’ve just got to stay focused and not underestimate them because they might have a little fire under them because we whipped both of them. So we can’t come out flat like we have in the past. We’ve just got to come out strong and get a trip to Salina.”

Lawrence 17, Lansing 0, 7 inn.

Lansing 000 000 0 – 0 2 7

Lawrence 750 005 x – 17 14 1

W-Scott Heitshusen. 3B-Brett Lisher, Heitshusen. 2B-Lisher 2, Tyler Knight.