The last time Lawrence High left-hander Albert Minnis pitched against Free State at Hoglund Ballpark, his arm wasn’t as tight, wasn’t as sore, as it was Wednesday, when he faced the Firebirds under the lights at Free State. A fastball that topped out at 89 mph on the scouts’ guns a couple of weeks ago didn’t hit 80 very often in the rematch. To give himself any shot at beating a team as sound as the young Firebirds, Minnis was going to have to re-invent himself.

Mission accomplished. Winning pitchers find a way to win when they have less than their best stuff. With a large pack of the city’s baseball fans watching, that’s what Minnis did in the third and final game of a thrilling day of baseball at Free State.

He took something off his fastball and discovered on the fly that when he does so, his ball moves a great deal more.

“It was kind of a surprise, a gift,” Minnis said of the increased movement. “I didn’t have my best stuff, but you compete for the other nine guys on the field.”

He mixed that sinking fastball that ran away from right-handed hitters with his signature slider he used effectively against both left-handed and right-handed hitters. Lefty swingers flailed in vain at it as it darted down and away from their bats. Right-handed hitters often took the pitch for a strike because it looked like a ball until taking a sharp turn at the last instant to catch the outside corner.

Minnis coaxed everything he had out of his arm in his sixth, final and best inning during Lawrence’s 2-1 victory.

Free State’s Connor Stremel led off with a single, stole second with one out and from there watched a more-successful-than-anticipated season end for him and his buddies. After Stremel’s single, Minnis struck out the next three batters, relying heavily on that venomous slider.

Give the young prospect credit for trusting the medical experts who told him that although his arm hurt, he wouldn’t place himself at serious risk of injury by pitching. He could have asked out, protecting the asset that could pay for his education and one day maybe even fancy cars and homes. He didn’t. He gripped the baseball and went to work for six innings, struck out seven and allowed three hits. Scouts in attendance will remember that long after they forget he didn’t have his best fastball.

Asked what impressed him the most about Minnis, LHS coach Brad Stoll said, “His toughness. I called him out in front of the whole team and said, ‘It’s time for the real Albert Minnis to show up.’ He was tight. We knew he’s not hurt. We’ve been told he’s not hurt, just a little tight. I said, ‘Are you going to let down nine seniors who want to win the state title?’ I’m proud of him because he battled.”

Minnis pitched for Park Hill High in Kansas City last year, before moving to Lawrence to be with his father, Bryan Minnis, director of sales and marketing at Alvamar Country Club and a key figure in the significantly increased membership numbers recently.

It didn’t take the younger Minnis long to feel like he belonged in Lawrence.

“This group of guys embraced me like I’ve been here four years,” Minnis said. “It’s been better than the wildest dreams I could have had when I moved here.”