FSHS junior Jaden Moore (15) hustles to make a catch behind home plate in the top of the third inning, as FSHS played St. James Academy on Thursday at Hoglund Ballpark at KU in the first game of the River City Baseball Festival.

In a game that stretched nearly three hours on Thursday, Free State High baseball players weren’t happy with the way they played, but were satisfied with the result.

Free State sophomore Kyle Abrahamson lifted the Firebirds to a 7-6 victory over St. James Academy with a walk-off single in the 10th inning at Kansas University’s Hoglund Ballpark.

Abrahamson, a 5-foot-8 left-handed hitter, was given extra life at the plate after a pop up in foul territory bounced off of the first baseman’s glove. On the next pitch, he slapped the ball into shallow right field, scoring senior Mikey Corbett.

“I was so relieved,” said Abrahamson, who went 3-for-6 with two RBI. “I can’t even explain it. I was so happy just to get another shot and get up there again.”

To set up Abrahamson’s game-winning hit, Free State senior left-handed Parker Tietjen escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the top of the 10th inning. He walked two batters (one intentionally) and hit a batter, and, somehow, had them right where he wanted them. After a strikeout and a foul out, he ended the threat with a fly ball into right field.

Tietjen, who followed flamethrowers Trevor Munsch and Aaron Funk on the mound, walked four but didn’t allow a hit in three innings pitched. It was only his third appearance of the season.

“You go in there with Trevor and Funk throwing (velocity) and then you come back with Parker changing up speeds, it’s pretty tough,” Corbett said. “I was talking with their first baseman and he said, ‘We can’t even hit that. It’s so different.'”

The Firebirds (8-1) forced extra innings with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, right after the Thunder (4-5) scored four runs in the top of the frame. After loading the bases with a single by Corbett and the help of an error and walk, senior Hunter Gudde hit a RBI single on a dribbler to third base.

Down three runs with the bases loaded, Abrahamson hit a ground ball to SJA’s second baseman and the throw to second to start a double play went into left field, emptying the base paths and tying the score.

“I think we used up all nine of our lives there,” said Corbett, who scored four runs and drew three walks. “It felt like we should’ve won that game five times and were lucky to be in it. It turned out they made just as many errors as we did and they just made mistakes. I’m glad we capitalized on one.”

The Firebirds capitalized on mistakes, but they weren’t without several of their own. Runners were picked off on the base paths or doubled up on line drives. Bradley Collicott hit a would-be triple but was called out when he failed to touch first base.

Free State left 12 runners on base, including nine in scoring position.

“We have to fix some things,” FSHS coach Mike Hill said. “But it’s better to fix some things after a win than a loss.”

Before the wackiness in the final innings, FSHS junior third baseman Zion Bowlin hit a RBI single in the first inning, and Corbett scored on a fielder’s choice in the third.

The Firebirds will play Tulsa (Okla.) Memorial at 3:45 p.m. today at FSHS.

St. James 020 000 400 0 — 6 10 3

Free State 101 000 400 1 — 7 10 3

W — Parker Tietjen (2-0). L — Connor Sheridan.

2B — Jacob Pavlyak, FS. 3B — Zion Bowlin, FS.

Free State highlights — Abrahamson, 3-for-6, 2 RBI; Tietjen, 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 2 K; Mikey Corbett, 1-for-3, 3 walks, 4 runs; Zion Bowlin, 2-for-5, RBI; Trevor Munsch, 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K.