Surely Lawrence High baseball coach Brad Stoll was jesting, but a hint of seriousness remained in his message Saturday afternoon: Spoil any more of pitcher Tom Schuh’s good outings, and the lefty might come after his teammates.

“That’s the second time it’s happened,” Stoll said. “They better watch out.”

Schuh, the Lions’ quiet and low-key southpaw, wouldn’t go that far, but the frustration was evident on his face after he lost a 1-0 pitcher’s duel against Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst at Hoglund Ballpark.

“I think we’re all a little ticked off,” Schuh said, his eyes barely visible under the lowered brim of his cap. “We all expect ourselves to produce a little more than we did tonight.”

One night after exploding for seven runs in the final three innings of a thrilling comeback victory over Kansas City Ward, the Lions looked like a team that had nothing left in the tank for their finale of the River City Baseball Festival. They slapped together just three singles off Rockhurst starter Matt Stacks before chasing him from the game in the seventh inning. Then, with the bases loaded on two walks and an error, LHS pinch-hitter Lance Kilburn flew out to right field to end the game.

Stoll took the blame for what he called a flat performance from his players.

“We’ve got to find a way to match our intensity in back-to-back games,” he said. “That’s how you win a regional. That’s how you win a state championship.”

For Schuh, the loss was particularly tough because he made only one mistake against the Hawklets’ powerful lineup.

After sailing through four innings, Schuh had two outs in the fifth with Rockhurst third baseman Jerry Mancuso at bat and nobody on base. Catcher Chase Muder called for a fastball. Schuh delivered. Mancuso punished the pitch with a drive to right field that barely cleared the wall over the 330-foot sign.

And that was that.

“I got it inside,” said Schuh, who noted the pitch location was where he wanted it. “He just put a good swing on it.”

Lawrence (4-5) joined some very good company on the Hawklets’ list of recent victims. In the past week alone, Rockhurst (11-5) handed K.C. Ward its first defeat in 45 games and Free State High – the No. 1 team in Class 6A – its only loss of the season.

That was small consolation to the Lions, however.

“It really hurts because last night we had such a good game, and coming out here and getting three-hit is just not acceptable,” said Muder, who had two of the Lions’ three hits. “Our pitching staff is there, but our hitting needs to get a little better.”

The Lions return to Sunflower League play at home on Tuesday against Shawnee Mission West at 6 p.m.