Talk about a bummer of a Senior Day.

Shawnee Mission North ruined Free State High’s home softball finales with a doubleheader sweep Thursday. And the word ruined may be euphemistic.

The Indians dropped a 12-run fifth-inning bomb on the Firebirds during a 13-1 romp in the opener, then rode an 11-0 steamroller in the second game.

“They’re a good team,” Free State senior Lexi Smith said, “but it hurts to go out like this.”

The Indians (14-4) will finish in third place in the Sunflower League standings behind unbeaten Olathe Northwest and perennial power Olathe East. The Firebirds suffered twinbill losses to the Olathe powers, too, but neither sweep was as lopsided as Thursday’s thumpings.

“I feel bad any time we lose,” Free State coach Pam Pine said, “but I feel worse because of Senior Day.”

For a while, it appeared the Firebirds (8-12) would be competitive. After four innings of the first game, the two teams were knotted at 1. Then came the nightmarish fifth. The Indians parlayed 10 hits and five Free State errors — yes, five — into a decisive dozen runs.

“We fell apart. The wheels came off,” Pine said. “We made physical errors on plays we practice every day.”

Added Smith, one of seven seniors honored between games: “It was awful.”

Following the embarrassing lopsided run-rule defeat, Smith and six other seniors had to put on happy faces for a between-games ceremony honoring them.

“It was tough,” Smith said. “We had to keep everybody up and stay positive.”

And it was even tougher to remain positive after SM North scored four runs in the first inning of the nightcap, then kept pouring it while amassing 16 hits in the 11-0 drubbing.

Free State scored in the first inning of the opener when Rosie Hull was hit by a pitch, stole second and crossed home plate when SM North pitcher Mary Pat Specht threw Lauren Fox’s grounder past the first baseman.

That was the only glaring mistake Specht made all day. The junior right-hander went in with an 0.88 earned-run average and a Sunflower League-leading 109 strikeouts, and lowered the former stat while adding to the latter. During 12 innings in the circle, Specht didn’t allow an earned run and posted a dozen whiffs, six in each game.

Free State managed only five hits. In the opener, Fox and Maddy Wilson had doubles and Smith a single, but all three were stranded. In the second game, Rosie Hull had both of Free State’s hits, both singles and one a slug bunt she beat out.

Free State will go into next week’s Class 6A sub-state at a site that will be determined on Saturday as losers of five of their last six outings.

“We’re not clicking,” Smith said. “We were clicking before, but we’re not now.”

Nevertheless, the Firebirds can salvage their season with a solid showing at sub-state.

“It probably won’t be too hard to get up,” Smith said, “because we’re pretty mad about what happened today.”