Free State High’s baseball team had plenty of opportunities to score runs throughout its game against Raymore-Peculiar, Mo., on Thursday night, but couldn’t push many runs across the plate.

Raymore-Peculiar didn’t have as many chances but cashed in at the right time.

With the game tied in the top of the seventh inning, the Panthers loaded the bases, and their cleanup hitter, Josh Scribner, drilled a fastball for a two-run single into the left-center gap to lift them to a 5-2 victory over the Firebirds in the River City Baseball Festival at Kansas University’s Hoglund Ballpark.

The Firebirds left 11 runners on base throughout the game, with eight of them in scoring position.

“We just couldn’t get the timely hit,” FSHS coach Mike Hill said. “Good ballgame, well pitched on both sides, defensively well played on both sides. Those type of games come down to timely hitting, and we just didn’t have it.”

Free State (7-4) tied the game in the fifth inning when junior Cooper Karlin drew a one-out walk and came around to score on a bases-loaded walk to senior Ty Walmsley. However, the Firebirds couldn’t capitalize for more runs when senior Zach Bickling grounded into a fielder’s choice. They also stranded two runners in the sixth inning.

“We’re getting them on, but we just can’t get them in,” said junior Joel Spain, who went 2-for-3 with a walk and tossed a runner out at the plate from center field in the first inning. “That’s a big problem that we need to fix.”

Free State stranded 13 runners in a 1-0 win over Shawnee Mission North last week, and players seem to be pressing at the plate on Thursday, suffering seven strikeouts with runners on base.

“There’s a fine line where you want to identify a problem and work on a problem but you don’t want to get too deep into somebody’s head and they think too much,” Hill said. “We’ll get out of it. We’ll keep plugging, and eventually they’re going to fall.”

Senior Cameron Pope relieved senior Ryan Cantrell on the mound in the fifth inning and allowed just one hit before the decisive seventh inning. However, he walked the leadoff hitter and gave up a single before the Firebirds opted to load the bases with an intentional walk.

Pope fell into a bad count, 3-1, and was forced to throw a fastball over the plate, which Scribner didn’t miss.

“I thought our pitching was good enough to win the ballgame,” Hill said. “Again, it comes down to the fact that, because of our inability to get timely hits, we ask our defense and our pitching to be perfect. Our pitching and our defense aren’t going to be perfect.”

The Firebirds will play Bishop Miege at 2:30 p.m. today at FSHS.

Raymore 100 100 3 — 5 8 1

Free State 000 110 0 — 2 5 0

W — Austyn Cochran. L — Cameron Pope.

2B — Jacob Pavlyak, FS. 3B — Evan Rathburn, RP.

Free State highlights — Joel Spain, 2-for-3; Pavlyak, 1-for-3, RBI; Ryan Cantrell, 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 K.