Free State pitcher Catherine Smith delivers a pitch. Smith started the opener of the Firebirds' doubleheader sweep of Olathe Northwest on Thursday at Free State.

Free State's Lauren Fox puts down a sacrifice bunt against Olathe Northwest. Free State swept the doubleheader, 6-4 and 2-1, Thursday at Free State.

After Catherine Smith gave up four runs in the second inning, the Free State pitcher ran to the dugout with her intensity intact. The junior didn’t panic. Instead, she contemplated a scheme that would dominate Olathe Northwest hitters the rest of the game.

“They got hits when they needed them in the right spots,” Smith said of the second inning. “I was like, ‘That’s not happening again.’ I pulled it together and got my game face on.”

Smith didn’t surrender a run the rest of the game in Free State’s 6-4 victory against Olathe Northwest on Thursday afternoon. Free State completed the doubleheader sweep with a 2-1 victory in the second game at FSHS.

Smith gave up only three hits in the last five innings of the first game.

“The rise is a new pitch, and it came to work today,” Smith said. “It goes up on the batters, and it gets on their hands, so they end up missing it.”

Smith pitched a complete game and gave up eight hits and two walks and struck out three.

Sophomore Lexi Smith put the Firebirds on the board in the fourth inning with the first home run of her career. The blast traveled over the left-field fence and cut the Ravens’ lead to 4-2.

Free State (2-0) owned the fifth inning. Senior Livi Abney hit a two-run single to tie the game at 4. Junior Kayley Lane, who hit cleanup, stepped to the plate next. Lane kept a keen eye on a ball that started tailing away from her body. She reached for the pitch and clubbed an opposite-field double that reached the gap in right-center field. It scored a run and gave the Firebirds a 5-4 lead.

“Kayley is a clutch hitter,” coach Pam Pine said. “She’s really good with runners in scoring position. She works the count well and stays very calm and level-headed through just about any circumstance.”

Two batters later, Brooke Abney hit a RBI single, which give Free State a 6-4 lead.

The second game felt like a classic pitchers duel. No one scored until the fourth inning, when the Ravens mastered the art of small-ball. With two outs, O-Northwest freshman Amy Pierce reached first base on a Free State fielding error. Pierce, who hit leadoff, had blazing speed on the base paths. She stole second and third base before Hannah Dale hit an RBI-single. Pierce finished the day with three stolen bases.

Speaking of freshmen, Megan Smith – Catherine’s younger sister – started for the Firebirds in the second game. She pitched well, especially considering it was the first start of her career. The lefty lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up four hits, one run, one walk and struck out one.

After four innings of rest, Pine put Catherine Smith back on the mound. She gave up two hits the rest of the way and didn’t allow a run in relief of her younger sister.

The Firebirds went scoreless for five innings until Livi Abney put them ahead in the sixth with an RBI-single. Lane, who drove in the winning run in both games, then smashed a double that scored Livi Abney from third.

“I was just trying to get it out in the outfield so I could get a sacrifice fly,” Lane said. “I got lucky and hit it in the gap. I was pretty happy and just ran as fast as I could.”

Free State played exceptional defense in the final inning to seal the victory. Taryn Dickerson hit a leadoff double for Olathe Northwest (0-2), then moved to third on a routine groundout. Odds still looked favorable for the Ravens with a runner on third base and one out. Kendra Wright hit a dribbler to third base, and Dickerson initially made a move toward home plate for the tying run. The Firebirds caught her in a rundown and gained the vital second out. Catherine Smith forced a groundout to end the game.