Free State players pile on top of one another near first base after defeating Manhattan in their regional championship game Tuesday at FSHS.

For the past two seasons, Free State High’s baseball team lost in the regional championship, one game shy of the state tournament. The Firebirds weren’t going to let another opportunity slip past them Tuesday.

Free State senior closer Casey Hearnen pumped his fist after he struck out the final batter in the seventh inning, clinching his team’s spot at state with a 3-1 victory over Manhattan at FSHS. His teammates rushed in from their spots on the field and the dugout, tossed their gloves in the air and jumped on each other in a dog pile down the first-base line.

After shaking hands with their opponents, the Firebirds raised their regional championship trophy.

“I’m thrilled. I can’t even explain it,” Hearnen said. “The last three years we haven’t made it, and we’ve had pretty good teams. We were really expecting to make it. So this was just huge, and it feels great to do it with all my friends that I’ve all grown up playing with.”

Senior Joel Spain added: “Every year we want to get it more and more because the previous year we didn’t get it. So with four years before we were here, not getting to the state tournament really pushed us to work harder to finally get there.”

The Firebirds (18-4, ranked No. 2 in Class 6A) beat Olathe North, 12-2 in five innings, on Tuesday afternoon before their victory over Manhattan (10-10) in the nightcap. It will be their first trip to state since 2010.

In the regional finals, Free State trailed, 1-0, in the first inning when Manhattan’s Braedyn Woborny and Garrett Francis hit back-to-back singles. Woborny scored on a throwing error. However, with a runner on third and one out, FSHS starter Hunter Gudde struck out the next two batters.

Gudde was dominant afterward, allowing just one more hit over the next five innings with his strong curveball, which helped force routine ground balls.

“End of the first inning, I really got in my groove,” said Gudde (8-0), who is one win shy of the school’s single-season record. “After that one run scored, I think we knew that we were going to get out of that inning fine. I just had to keep pounding the zone like I’m used to doing.”

When the Firebirds were looking for run support, Gudde helped himself. He swung at a first-pitch curveball and laced it into left field for a two-run, two-out single in the bottom of the first inning, scoring seniors Spain and Jon Saathoff, who both singled.

“The first inning, they get up on us and hit a couple balls hard,” FSHS coach Mike Hill said. “The kids responded in the (bottom of the first) inning and did it all with two outs and nobody on. That was huge. I think that helped us a lot.”

In the second inning, Free State added another run when junior Mikey Corbett drew a walk and scored on an RBI single from sophomore Zion Bowlin. Senior Marcileno Cortez, who was hit by a pitch, was thrown out on Bowlin’s single when he slid past home without touching the plate.

“One run is enough, and pitching with a lead is really helpful when you’re on the mound,” Gudde said. “Two runs just makes all the difference. I think our team did a really good job of getting us a lead early.”

The Firebirds committed two errors in the fourth inning, but weren’t hurt by them when FSHS shortstop Corbett and senior second baseman Cooper Karlin turned a double play.

In the seventh inning, Hearnen was brought in after Gudde issued a leadoff walk. Hearnen struck out two batters, sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt.

“There wasn’t a ton of pressure on, as far as runners on base,” said Hearnen, who tied the single-season school record with six saves. “But, yeah, I just wanted to come in and close it down for the team because we really deserved to make it to state this year. … That’s always a great feeling.”

The Firebirds only had five hits in their 12-2 mercy-rule-shortened rout of Olathe North (7-14). They took advantage of three errors in the fourth inning, highlighted by two bases loaded walks, a two-run double from Hearnen and an RBI single by Cortez.

Saathoff added a two-run single in the third inning.

“This is what we wanted and came here this season to do,” Gudde said. We’re just all really excited to go to the state tournament and try to win a state championship.”

Free State 3, Manhattan 1

Manhattan 100 000 0 — 1 3 1

Free State 210 000 x — 3 6 3

W — Hunter Gudde, 8-0. L — Grant Munsen. Sv — Casey Hearnen, 6.

FSHS highlights — Gudde, 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 1-for-3, 2 RBI; Hearnen, 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K; Joel Spain, 3-for-3, run, stolen base; Zion Bowlin, 1-for-3, RBI.

Free State 12, Olathe North 2 (5 innings)

O-North 000 20 — 2 5 3

Free State 004 8x — 12 5 1

W — Trevor Munsch, 3-0. L — Tanner Kleinsasser.

2B — Rustin Hiebert, ON; Casey Hearnen, FS. 3B — Zion Bowlin, FS.

FSHS highlights — Munsch, 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K; Bowlin, 1-for-2, walk, 2 runs; Jon Saathoff, 1-for-2, walk, 3 RBI; Hunter Gudde, 1-for-3, RBI, run; Hearnen, 1-for-3, 2 RBI, run; Mikey Corbett, 0-for-1, 2 runs; Marcileno Cortez, 1-for-1, RBI, 2 runs.