In the middle of the eighth inning Tuesday night at Lawrence High, Lions baseball coach Brad Stoll had specific instructions for his players.

“Let’s get a walk-off single and have a dog pile,” Stoll said, “because we deserve something good to happen.”

A leadoff triple from junior Daonte Lowery in the bottom of what proved to be the only extra inning set the table, and senior Steven Garcia’s two-out, bases-loaded single meant the Lions could follow through with Stoll’s plans as 4-3 victors over Shawnee Mission Northwest — previously unbeaten in the Sunflower League.

After going 0-for-3 in his previous plate appearances, Garcia smoked a high-pressure base hit and was rewarded once he rounded first base by a swarm of thrilled Lions taking him to the ground.

“I kind of got in the fetal position,” a laughing Garcia said. “I had my helmet on and put it over my face and just protected myself for how long it lasted.”

LHS (4-10) didn’t even record a hit in the wild win until the bottom of the sixth inning. Lowery, who broke up the no-hit bid of Cougars junior pitcher Jared Marolf with an RBI double, came through again in the eighth with a triple to the right-field gap.

With Lowery standing 90 feet away from an LHS victory, and SMNW looking for easy force-out chances, the Cougars (11-3) elected to walk Brad Kincaid and Michael Sinks intentionally to load the bases. The strategy nearly worked, as reliever Brennon Covington retired the next two batters.

However, Garcia made sure Lawrence didn’t leave Lowery stranded at third after getting there with no outs.

“If I had my chance, I knew I was gonna go up there and practice what we preach,” Garcia said. “Go up there and hit hard. Hard contact’s what we focus on.”

Stoll said just this past week he had seen some complacency out of his Lions, but they didn’t roll over when SMNW came back to tie the game, 3-3, in the top of the seventh off an RBI single by Paul Bachelor.

Lowery went 2-for-3 in the win, scored three runs and made a wild catch in center field in the top of the second after a ball hit to the gap bounced off right fielder Zak McAlister’s glove. He admitted it would’ve been easy for the struggling Lions to drop another game.

“We all knew in ourselves that we weren’t gonna take this (loss),” the leadoff man said, still pacing with excitement 10 minutes after the win.

Sinks’ range at shortstop robbed SMNW of two hits, and the senior gave LHS its 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single. As a relief pitcher, he also kept the Cougars hitless in the eighth.

Stoll credited Sinks for his competitiveness and all his players for their resolve. He left the field happy they followed his extra-inning game plan with a dog pile.

“When you’ve lost the way that we have,” the coach said, “and as frequently as we have, sometimes you’ve gotta celebrate, man.”

SMNW 000 002 10 — 3 4 1

Lawrence 100 002 01 — 4 5 3

W — Michael Sinks. L — Brennon Covington.

2B — Casey Kelley, NW; Daonte Lowery, Brad Kincaid, LHS. 3B — Lowery.

Lawrence highlights: Lowery, 2-for-3, 3 R, RBI; Sinks, 1-for-2, RBI; Kincaid, 1-for-3, RBI; Steven Garcia, 1-for-4, RBI; Nick Haynes, 6 IP, 3 H, 4 Ks, 2 BBs, 2 R.