Small-class power Ward stuns FSHS

Four-time defending state champs hand sloppy Firebirds first setback of season

? Don’t let Kansas City Ward’s Class 4A status fool you, Free State High baseball coach Mike Hill said.

“That’s crap,” Hill said. “They have a great program. If they were in 6A, they’d be in the thick of it all the time.”

The Cyclones, who have won the last four 4A state baseball titles, humbled the Firebirds, the defending 6A champs, 7-5, in eight innings Friday night at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

Free State appeared to have this one in the bag going into the seventh inning. Junior southpaw Caleb Gress was cruising along, allowing just four hits – one a wind-blown double – and striking out seven.

“We were mowin’ ’em,” Hill said. “We felt comfortable going into the last inning.”

Minutes later, however, the Cyclones’ Brett Paterson hit a chopper over third baseman John Wilson’s head.

Then, after Gress fanned Jake Janes, John Oropeza sent a high chopper up the middle that barely glanced off shortstop Hunter Scheib’s glove.

Jamie Garcia followed with a line single to center, scoring Paterson, to cut the Firebirds’ lead to 5-3, and Hill pulled Gress in favor of E.J. Swanson.

Quickly, however, Swanson threw a wild pitch, sending the runners to second and third. Then Swanson uncorked another pitch to the backstop, allowing Oropeza to score.

Yet that wasn’t the worst of it. Catcher Andy Petz’s throw to Swanson at home plate went awry, and Garcia raced all the way from second with the tying run.

“We didn’t have anybody backing up the throw on that play,” Hill said, “and that’s unacceptable. But we’re young. We’ve been making mental mistakes, but we’d been getting away with them.”

Swanson finally shut the door, giving the Firebirds a chance to win in the bottom of the seventh, and, when Ben Wilson led off with a single, Free State had a head start to a comeback victory.

Twice, however, the Firebirds failed to bunt the runner to second base, and the game went into extra innings.

Ward wasted little time in the eighth. Beau Stoker tripled to center and scored on a wild pitch – four of the Cyclones’ runs crossed on wild pitches – with Steve Maurin at the plate. Moments later, Maurin added the coup de grace by homering over the left-field fence.

Free State out-hit Ward, 13-9, but 12 of the hits were singles. The Firebirds stranded 11 runners, while Ward left only four runners on base.

“We’re a little down right now,” said Gress, who pitched so solidly for 6 1/3 innings, “but we’ll bounce back tomorrow.”

Figuratively, the Firebirds will be able to get right back on the horse because their third and final game in the River City Festival will be at 11:30 a.m. today against Springfield, Mo., Hillcrest, also at Community America Ballpark.

“We’ll see,” Hill said. “I’m anxious to assess how we handle this.”

Free State (6-1) lost for the first time since falling to Olathe North during the next-to-last game of the 2006 regular season.