There’s one glaring theme in each loss by Free State High’s baseball team: The Firebirds have failed to score a run.

The Firebirds were shut out for the third time in their last five games and lost, 1-0, against Olathe South on Tuesday at FSHS.

They were held to just two hits against Olathe South starter Max Storch. Nate Strathman singled in the second inning and Matt Hill hit a single in the fifth.

Meanwhile, the Falcons scored the game’s only run in the top of the seventh inning. O-South senior Matt Zehren hit a leadoff single, advanced to second base on an errant pickoff attempt and moved to third on a wild pitch. Free State reliever Hunter Gudde nearly escaped with a groundout and strikeout, but Zehren scored on a wild pitch.

The run snapped a 21 1/3-inning scoreless streak from Gudde — only the third earned run he has allowed this season.

“We just simply have to put pressure on defenses and right now we’re not doing it,” FSHS coach Mike Hill said. “The outs that we make are not outs that challenge anybody from a defensive perspective whether they are line drives or hard-hit ground balls. We’re just not there yet.”

The Firebirds (12-4, 5-4 in Sunflower League), undefeated when they score a run, weren’t overwhelmed by Storch’s pitches. The 6-foot-2 right-hander simply located his fastball on the corners, striking out six and walking four.

“It was pretty straight but it was a little faster than I’ve seen,” Strathman said of Storch. “But I think it was normal. We just popped it up.”

The Firebirds didn’t have any base runners reach third base, but four innings ended with a runner on second.

With no run support, it just amplifies the pressure on Free State’s pitchers and defense. Junior right-hander Aaron Funk, who made an “emergency start” Tuesday, was dominant in 4 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing only three hits.

“This was the best he had thrown,” Hill said. “Without question, his best outing. His breaking ball was good. I thought he was really effective.”

Gudde, who flipped with Funk into the team’s closer role, struck out three in 2 1/3 innings.

The Falcons (13-4, 7-2) nearly scored in the fifth inning when senior Luke Riley was hit by a pitch and stole second base. Senior Tristan Porter drilled a line drive to the right side of the infield, but FSHS second baseman Mikey Corbett made a diving catch to his left, likely preventing a run from scoring.

Otherwise both teams had trouble pushing runners past second base until the Falcons found a way to score in the seventh inning.

“It goes back to offensively, we’ve got to find a way to manufacture things,” Hill said. “But you have to get people on base to manufacture runs.”

The Firebirds will go on the road to play Shawnee Mission West at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

O-South 000 000 1 — 1 5 0

Free State 000 000 0 — 0 2 1

W — Max Storch. L — Hunter Gudde, 4-1. S — Keaton Suellentrop.

FSHS highlights — Aaron Funk, 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K; Hunter Gudde, 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K; Nate Strathman, 1-for-2, walk; Matt Hill, 1-for-3.