Lawrence High’s Aaron Rea (18) taps helmets with Clint Pinnick after Rea homered in the third inning. Lawrence High defeated Blue Valley North, 6-0, on Saturday at Ice Field.

Lawrence's Aaron Rea (18) tries to turn a double play during the game against Blue Valley North on Saturday, May 2, 2009, at Ice Field.

Even for senior Aaron Rea, one of the city’s top high school athletes, Saturday qualified as a particularly busy day.

Lawrence High’s leadoff hitter and shortstop used his glove, his powerful bat and his base-stealing ability to help the Lions to a 6-0 victory Saturday against Blue Valley North at Ice Field, and then he raced off to attend the Free State High prom.

In support of winning right-hander Andy Urban (3-2), Rea belted a leadoff home run over the left-field fence in the third inning, stole three bases, went 2-for-4 and made a nifty back-hand stop to deny Grant Adams a hit on a hard grounder in the hole.

In improving to 12-4, the Lions responded to a pregame challenge issued by coach Brad Stoll a day after being on the wrong end of a no-hitter Friday and the right end of a 1-0 victory, thanks to a 14-strikeout shutout by left-hander Albert Minnis.

“Even though we won, it was kind of a wake-up call for us,” Rea said of the no-hit game. “We feel like there have been quite a few games we’ve underachieved offensively.”

Stoll, armed with the sort of three-deep starting pitching rotation capable of winning a state title, knows the key for LHS to achieve its goal lies in giving the pitchers enough run support. The coach also knows the season isn’t getting any younger.

“We had a heart-to-heart before the game,” Stoll said. “I challenged them to do two things. I challenged them to get double-digit hits and to have fun. They played loose today, and that’s the only way to play this game is to stay loose. This game’s supposed to be fun. You’ve got to go to the plate loose and relaxed. You’ve got to play defense loose and relaxed, and that’s the culture we try to create. You’ve got to play as hard as you possibly can, but you’ve got to stay loose. Winning’s always fun, so we had fun today.”

Urban pitched six innings of the Lions’ fifth shutout this season, and Taylor Gentry, pitching with agile receiver Chase McElhaney at the other end of the battery, preserved it with a scoreless seventh. For some teams, a shutout would be cause for an extended celebration. For LHS, it has become a regular occurrence. Producing 10 hits sparked more conversation than stringing seven zeroes.

Rea’s second home run of the season, off a Sean McHugh high fastball on a 1-1 count, gave Urban a 2-0 lead with which to work. The Lions broke the game open with a four-run sixth. Tyler Bailey (2-for-3) reached on an infield hit, advanced a base on a wild pitch and scored on Dorian Green’s hard ground single up the middle that drew a throw to the plate, which enabled Green to take second. Lance Kilburn rapped a run-scoring double to left, giving him a two-RBI day. Clint Pinnick’s single to left plated the final two runs of the game.

Urban’s day, another good one, was done by then.

“Andy’s done a great job all year,” Rea said. “He’s been the one pitcher who hasn’t gotten a lot of run support.”

Urban hit a couple of speed bumps — walking the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters to start the third inning — but always had the right pitch or right glove-work behind him to wriggle free when things got busy on the bases.

LHS has four regular-season games remaining before it tests its deep pitching staff in the postseason.