Free State's Hunter Scheib, left, lunges for a ground ball. Free State edged Olathe South, 5-3, Wednesday at FSHS despite hitting no singles.

Hard telling, but Free State High’s baseball team may have established an unusual record Wednesday.

The Firebirds won a game without collecting a single single.

“Pathetic,” Free State coach Mike Hill said following a 5-3 home win over Olathe South. “That’s as poorly as we’ve hit in seven years.”

Free State did have three hits – doubles by Cody Kukuk and John Wilson and a triple by Adam Rock – but they all came in the first two innings.

“If that continues,” Hill said, “we won’t be successful much longer.”

In winning for the 12th time in 13 outings, the Firebirds snapped a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the third when E.J. Swanson walked, moved to second and third on wild pitches and scored on a passed ball.

An inning later, Free State added an insurance run when Jordan Dreiling was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on a passed ball and a groundout, then scored on wild pitch.

Beautiful the last two runs may not have been, but they counted and Hill wasn’t giving them back.

“One of the makings of a good team,” he said, “is the ability to win ugly. Offensively, we had no business winning.”

Free State remained the lone unbeaten in Sunflower League games (7-0) and can clinch the league championship by sweeping its last three league games against Shawnee Mission North today, SM Northwest next Tuesday and Lawrence High on Wednesday.

“You can’t hit the cover off the ball every time,” Hill said. “You’ve got to find a way to get things done.”

Senior left-hander Caleb Gress struggled at times, giving seven singles and four walks, but the Firebirds turned two doubleplays and Swanson – the catcher – picked a runner off second in the sixth inning.

“I trust all eight guys behind me,” Gress said. “I knew I just needed to throw ground balls and fly balls.”

One of the Falcons’ singles was a wind-blown pop fly that eluded Kukuk, the first baseman. Right fielder Tyler Hatesohl was charged with the lone error when he booted a single that allowed an O-South runner to take an extra base.

“With the wind it wasn’t a good day to play defense,” Hill said, “and, except for that one pop-up, we did that well.”

Free State was credited with just two RBI. Wilson doubled in a run in the first and Rock’s triple plated the other in the second. The Firebirds’ other runs crossed on the Falcons’ lone error, a passed ball and a wild pitch.

On the whole, Olathe South looked a lot better than a team that left town with a 5-11 record.

“Our league is tough,” Gress said. “Everybody in this league will give you a run for your money.”