Wichita ? Scoreless, down six runs, a little too anxious at the plate, the Lawrence High baseball team didn’t have that look of in-your-face confidence that carried it to the Class 6A state semifinals.

It was at that point, before the start of the fifth inning Monday, that Brad Stoll gathered all the players near the first-base line, rubbed a little dirt on their hurting spirits and sent them back to work.

They responded. They went out like Lions, instead of like lambs. A fiery comeback fell short, 7-5, against Blue Valley West at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, but not without the true Lions showing up for a couple of innings.

A hit batsman here, a walk there, an Aaron Rea two-run double off the wall in the left-field corner and a run-scoring, screaming line drive of a single up the middle from Travis Sanders, and the six-run deficit was cut in half in the fifth inning. If not for a spectacular catch by Blue Valley West center fielder Alex Hughes to deny Jordan Guntert of extra bases, there’s no telling how many runs the Lions could have scored.

Pinch runner Sam Anderson’s takeout slide that broke up what could have been an inning-ending double play was the biggest play in the two-run sixth, Sanders’ run-scoring single up the middle the next biggest.

LHS never drew closer than 6-5, which was enough to reinforce to Stoll what he already knew: He’s going to miss this scrappy band of gamers.

Asked what he’ll miss about each senior, Stoll obliged, one by one, mentioning them in order of their jersey numbers:

Anderson: “Great sense of humor, and it’s fun to be at practice with him every day.”

Guntert: “How hard he played the game and the little things he did for our team.”

Sam Harwood: “Has the best smile in the country.”

Leland Kueser: “There’s a kid who didn’t get a chance to play much and never said boo about it. He showed up, worked hard, and when we needed a pinch hitter, he did exactly what he’s supposed to do.”

Daniel Green: “His fire and the ability to lead and compete.”

Joe Muiller: “He’s going to be a congressman or a state representative one of these days. He’s going to the Naval Academy. He’s the sign stealer. That’s what we’re going to miss out of him. He’s always picking up signs.”

(Sounds like a potential spy.)

John Novotny: “He and I got to be pretty close right out of the gate because we played him so much as a sophomore. I’m going to miss his mouth. He’s the loudest kid in the state of Kansas.”

Patrick Johnson: “His work ethic. He came and worked on the field, worked hard in practice, did all the little things that go unnoticed.”

Drew Hulse: “Fiery kid. He won our First-Class Award. He’s just an awesome person to be around.”

Tony Williams: “I’m going to miss his contagious laugh and smile.”

Daniel Parker: “His ability to step up and make big plays.”

Nick DeBiasse: “Man, I’m going to miss his bat. He is one powerful kid. When he’s up, he’s got the ability to hit it over the scoreboard at any time.”

Avoiding being hit by a pitched baseball is as much instinct as anything. Purposely not avoiding being hit and not being called for it is an art. Three LHS batters were hit by a pitch in the finale, which captured the spirit of this team.