Free state catcher Andy Petz, center, high-fives teammates after hitting a grand slam against Olathe North. Petz drove in six runs in the Firebirds' 12-2 victory Tuesday at Ice Field.

Free state pitcher Jordan Dreiling, right, throws against Olathe North. Dreiling, in his second appearance for the Firebirds, gave up three hits and no walks in four innings Tuesday at Ice Field.

After Andy Petz popped a pitch high in the air and foul, the Free State High senior catcher heard part of coach Mike Hill’s mechanics workshop in his head: Don’t drop your back shoulder. Always keep the front shoulder in. Utilize all parts of the field.

Short lesson learned.

Two pitches later, Petz smashed a grand slam to the opposite part of Ice Field. He crushed the home run so far to right field it clanked off the American Legion baseball logo on the Gale Armbrister scoreboard. Petz had six RBIs Tuesday in Free State’s 12-2 five-inning victory against Olathe North.

“I knew it was a well-hit ball, but I didn’t know exactly how far it was,” Petz said. “I saw the center fielder shaded over to the left, and that helped me out because in my head, I knew I was going right-center.”

Petz could have taught an opposite-field clinic Tuesday. In his fourth plate appearance, he drilled a double into the gap in right-center. Petz finished the day 3-for-4 with a single, double, home run and a stolen base. Petz, who hit third in the lineup, joked after the game about coming up a triple short of the cycle.

“I guess that strikeout didn’t help me out that first at-bat,” Petz said.

Free State (12-3) trailed Olathe North (4-14), 1-0, in the second inning before Adam Rock hit an RBI single and Hunter Scheib grounded out, which scored Alex Hardman from third base. Petz gave the Firebirds a 4-1 lead with an RBI single, which scored two runs. Petz then blew the game open to 9-2 with the grand slam in the third inning.

“He’s a talented player who’s beginning to really discover some things at the plate,” Hill said of Petz. “He went opposite field on the breaking ball, and that’s a difficult concept for high-school kids. He’s now mastering that.”

Junior John Wilson also was impressive at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs.

“I’ve been slumping lately, hitting a lot of ground balls, so it felt good to get the ball out there a little bit and finally get on base,” Wilson said. “We’ve had a few rain days, so I’ve been working and analyzing my swing inside.”

Junior Jordan Dreiling made his second appearance on the mound this season for Free State. He pitched four innings and gave up an earned run and three hits. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out one.

“For his second time ever pitching, Jordan did a great job,” Petz said. “The majority of our pitching staff focuses on keeping the ball down and being able to throw a couple pitches for strikes. We like to work ahead of batters and pitch ground balls. Ground balls are much more democratic.”

Dreiling made one mistake and left a pitch high in the strike zone to Olathe North’s Josh Gore, who blasted a home run over the left-field fence. As a catcher and a veteran, Petz kept Dreiling under control. To calm any nerves, he said the two joked about Bull Durham lines after Gore’s home run.

“I told him if there was a bull out there right now, that kid would have had a steak,” Petz said about his one-on-one conversation with Dreiling. “He said, ‘Boy, he really hit the crap out of that one. What did you do, tell him it was coming?'”

Freshman Ryan Scott pitched an inning of scoreless relief for Dreiling.

Junior right fielder E.J. Swanson ended the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with an RBI single, which put the run-rule into effect.

Free State will face Lawrence High (9-7) today at home and Thursday at Hoglund Ballpark.