Olathe ? The Free State High baseball team suffered from a slow start for the second night in a row Tuesday, falling 6-2 to Olathe East in a Sunflower League contest at the College Boulevard Activities Center.

After the Firebirds scored one run in the top of the first to nab an early lead, the Hawks answered with two in their half and tacked on three more in the second for a cushion Free State (10-3 overall, 4-2 league) could not overcome.

“We’re not getting off on the right foot,” said Free State coach Mike Hill. “Against the tough competition we’ve seen the last couple of nights, that’s tough to overcome.”

Jordan Dreiling finished 2-for-3 with a double for the Firebirds, while Andy Petz was 1-for-4 with an RBI single.

Cody Lown suffered the loss.

After opening Sunflower League play with six straight road games, Free State will return home Thursday to face Shawnee Mission East in a 5:30 p.m. contest.