Free State senior Emily Bermel (2) slaps hands with junior Cali Byrn (42) after scoring a run during the Firebirds' game against Lawrence High Monday at FSHS.

Free State High’s softball team had a lot to take care of Monday.

First, the Firebirds had to complete a previously suspended game with Shawnee Mission West. Then, they needed to deal with the emotions that come with Senior Night. Of the utmost importance, though, they had to find a way to beat rival Lawrence High in the City Showdown.

The Firebirds, still steamed over a huge blown lead and loss Saturday, handled it all perfectly and put the Lions away early in a 13-3, five-inning romp.

FSHS center fielder Emily Bermel admitted it was a lot to take in for her and fellow seniors Kylie Cobb, Lily Ross, Elyse Boxberger, Kayla Hoppe, Amy Oelschlaeger, Alyssa Raye and Madison Harrell.

“Senior Night really kind of took a toll on all of us,” a smiling Bermel said afterward. “People on the bench, people in the stands, our coaches, us. I was bawling through the whole thing. You kind of just have to suck it up and realize you came here to play a game and that’s what you’re here for.”

The tears didn’t last for the Firebirds (11-7), who jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first with RBIs from junior Kate Stanwix and Ross. And it turned into a full-blown party in the second, when FSHS sent 14 batters to the plate, cranked eight hits and plated a whopping nine runs.

Free State coach Lee Ice found it a welcome response to a 12-11 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas two days earlier, when his team blew a 9-2 lead.

“Really, what we needed to do was get that bad taste out of our mouth,” the coach said.

Junior Haley Jump and Bermel jump-started the curative second with bunt singles, and Cobb drove them home with a ground-ball triple that ended up in the right-field gap.

RBI-singles off the bats of junior Emily Byers, junior Cali Byrn and sophomore Mayah Daniels followed soon after, and with the bases loaded, junior Elizabeth Patton and Jump drew RBI walks.

Bermel delivered her second hit of the inning with an RBI single, Jump scored on a wild pitch, and Lawrence trailed 11-0.

Senior leadoff hitter and center fielder Bermel said the Firebirds made a point to get off to a hot start, in part because they don’t want to split the season series with their rivals — Game 2 comes at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at LHS.

“Obviously, the nine runs helped us immensely,” Bermel said after going 3-for-4 and robbing Lawrence’s Sophie Taylor of an extra-base hit in the fifth inning, “because that’s a crooked number, and that’s what hurt us on Saturday.”

Prior to the rivalry game, the Firebirds completed what was a 14-0, first-inning lead Thursday against an overmatched Shawnee Mission West team by winning 32-0 in three innings. The Lions then handled SMW, 10-0. But only FSHS kept its bats hot for the final game of the day at FSHS.

The Lions (10-8) got on the board in the third, when junior Taylor led off with a single, and senior Morgan Byrn knocked her in with a deep sacrifice fly.

LHS junior Sami Mills drove in sophomore Annie Grammer in the fourth, and Byrn plated senior Kenzie Garvin in the fifth, but the Lions couldn’t find nearly enough offense to extend the game past a 10-run-rule loss.

Byrn liked that they put up a fight and didn’t get shut out, but a persistent issue kept Lawrence from doing any more damage against FSHS junior pitcher Patton (five strikeouts, three walks, seven hits allowed in five innings).

“Hitting the balls up in the air, giving them easy outs,” Byrn said of the Lions’ chief issue. “They just hit the ball. They had nice hits that we couldn’t defend — that’s why they’re hits.”

Almost the instant the game concluded, both sides began thinking about the coming rematch.

“They’re gonna be mad,” Bermel predicted. “They’re probably horribly mad about this game, because of the score.”

The Lions’ Byrn confirmed her team’s eagerness for some swift revenge.

“We’ve gotta protect our home turf,” the senior said. “We’re confident we can play them better than we just did. There’s no worries here.”

Lawrence 001 11 — 3 7 1

Free State 290 02 — 13 12 1

W — Elizabeth Patton. L — Jolona Shield.

2B — Annie Grammer, LHS; Lily Ross, FSHS. 3B — Kylie Cobb, FSHS.

LHS highlights — Sophie Taylor, 2-for-3, SB, R; Morgan Byrn, 1-for-1, 2 RBIs; Kenzie Garvin, 1-for-2, R; Grammer, 1-for-3, R; Shield, 1-for-2; Sami Mills, 1-for-2.

FSHS highlights — Emily Bermel, 3-for-4, R, RBI; Cobb, 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBIs; Kate Stanwix, 2-for-3, RBI; Ross, 1-for-3, R, 2 RBIs; Emily Byers, 1-for-2, RBI, R; Haley Jump, 1-for-1, 2 R; Mayah Daniels, 1-for-4, RBI; Patton, 5 IP, 5 Ks, 3 BB.