Lawrence High’s Chase McElhaney, left, avoids the tag by Lee’s Summit West catcher Matt Fultz and scores. The Lions lost their first River City Festival game, though, 16-3, on Thursday at Hoglund Ballpark.

Lawrence High’s baseball team knew before its game against Lee’s Summit (Mo.) West on Thursday that Ryan Hafner was going to throw harder than most of the pitchers the Lions would face all year.

Lawrence still had trouble generating much momentum off the 6-foot-6 right-hander, who struck out nine batters in five innings in West’s 16-3 run-rule victory in the River City Festival.

Hafner, a senior who will play next season at Missouri State, routinely hit 91 mph on the radar gun at Hoglund Ballpark.

“You know what? You still gotta step up and swing the bat,” LHS coach Brad Stoll said. “When it’s a fastball right down Broadway, I don’t care if it’s 75 or 95, you’ve gotta swing the pipe. So I’m disappointed in some of that stuff.”

The Titans’ bats weren’t too bad, either.

Lee’s Summit West knocked LHS starter Alex Laughlin out of the game after the first inning, in which he gave up four hits, seven earned runs and walked five. Laughlin struck out two.

The Titans scored in every inning, thanks in large part to the 10 batters that Lawrence pitchers walked.

LHS had a chance to get back in the game in the second inning. Down 7-1, the Lions loaded the bases with one out. Chris Parker hit an RBI single; LHS then scored another run when Chase McElhaney beat out a throw to the plate off a ground ball to first base. Bases still loaded, one out, and a 7-3 game.

However, Hafner struck out Ross Johnson and Albert Minnis to end the threat.

“That was the momentum-killer right there,” Parker said. “We were down, 7-3, and leave the bases loaded. That’s three runs right there. Seven to six, that’s a whole different game.”

Lee’s Summit West, a young team that started five sophomores, smacked seven extra-base hits. Sophomore Luke Knott drilled a mammoth solo home run over the left-field fence and into the trees in the third inning to extend the Titans’ lead to 8-3.

“We got down early, which puts you in a hole to start with,” Parker said. “They just kept scoring, which took all our momentum away.”

Lawrence High (3-4) will face Topeka Hayden at 8 tonight at LHS in its second game of the River City Festival. The Lions will conclude tournament play at 4:30 p.m. Saturday against Blue Valley Northwest at Hoglund Ballpark.

“Nobody wanted to get pounded in their hometown in front of all their fans by 13 runs, but I can’t wait for tomorrow,” Stoll said. “I wish we played right now, to tell you the truth. That’s the greatest thing about baseball. We play in 24 hours, and I can’t wait to play Topeka Hayden because I can promise you that those kids will respond. They’re a resilient bunch.”