photo by: John Young

Free State High senior pitcher Elizabeth Patton delivers a pitch during the Firebirds' regional final game against Olathe Northwest on Tuesday evening in Olathe.

Olathe ? Free State High softball coach Lee Ice believes the best way to compete with the top teams in the state is to avoid putting leadoff hitters on base and keep crooked numbers off the scoreboard.

Facing Olathe Northwest in the regional championship on Tuesday, the Firebirds didn’t have anything go their way and suffered a season-ending 16-3 loss in five innings at College Boulevard Activity Center.

The top-seeded Ravens put the leadoff hitter on base in each inning and hit around the lineup in two innings. They drilled eight extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs from junior Madison Young and senior Kaitlynn Kukowski.

The Firebirds advanced to the regional title game with an 8-1 victory over Manhattan earlier in the afternoon.

“We felt the best opportunity for us to beat that (Northwest) was to get (pitcher) Elizabeth (Patton) as long as she could into Game Two,” Ice said. “She threw 89 pitches in Game One, and she just ran out of gas. Bless her heart, she tried her hardest. We just didn’t have enough at the end.”

Patton was dominant against Manhattan. During the 8-1 victory, Patton only allowed three hits and struck out 11. Against the bottom five hitters in the MHS lineup, Patton didn’t allow any base-runners, recording nine strikeouts in their 13 at-bats.

In the middle innings, the senior right-hander retired 14 consecutive hitters.

“I felt really good,” Patton said. “I felt solid, and I was hoping to carry it over. We played well defensively and offensively. We were on a high from that, and Northwest is a really good team. We tried our hardest, which matters in the end.”

Against Manhattan, the Firebirds pulled ahead with a four-run second inning. They loaded the bases with singles from senior Emily Byers and junior Mayah Daniels and a walk from senior Cali Byrn. Byers scored on a wild pitch, Patton hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Byrn, and senior Hailey Jump hit an RBI single, scoring Daniels. Junior Jasper Hawkins added an infield single, scoring on a double steal.

Hawkins hit a triple in the fourth inning, scoring on a groundout, and Byers hit an RBI single, scoring senior Dacia Starr. Byers went 3-for-3 in the first game with two runs scored.

But the FSHS offense was limited to only four hits against Olathe Northwest junior pitcher Aubree Herrin. Patton drilled a two-run double to the right-field wall in the second inning, and senior Kate Stanwix hit a two-out, solo home run in the third inning.

“I think it’s just really frustrating because I know we’re capable of hitting right along with them,” Stanwix said. “Coach Ice always says, ‘Good pitching is going to beat good hitting.’ That’s just how it was today.”

Earlier in the season, the Firebirds lost, 4-2, against the Ravens on April 7. But if most things went right in that game — the Ravens only put the leadoff hitter on base in two of the seven innings — it was the opposite Tuesday.

In the pitching circle, the Firebirds issued nine walks and hit one batter, and the Ravens made them pay for most of them.

“That’s a good team. That’s why they are 21-1,” Ice said. “It’s just a matter of, they had more than we had today. The score was no indication of the two teams by any means. But that’s what happens in this league when you run out of pitching a little bit and things get away from you.”

With a team full of 10 seniors, the Firebirds were emotional after the final out, watching the Ravens celebrate their berth into the Class 6A state tournament.

Free State finished the season with a 12-10 record.

“We’re extremely close,” Patton said. “I think this is the closest the senior class, the varsity and program as a whole, has ever been. We work really hard to include everyone, which makes this even worse. We’ve all played together for a really long time, so when it’s finally at its end, it’s really hard for everyone.”

Olathe Northwest 16, Free State 3

Free State 021 00 — 3 4 0

Northwest 425 5x — 16 16 0

W — Aubree Herrin. L — Elizabeth Patton.

2B — Elizabeth Patton, FS; Madison Young, Shayna Espy (2), Halle England, Natalie Hamm, ONW. 3B — Espy, ONW. HR — Kate Stanwix, FS; Young, Kaitlynn Kukowski, ONW.

FSHS highlights — Stanwix, 2-for-2, run, RBI; Patton, 1-for-1, 2 RBIs; Mayah Daniels, 1-for-2.

Free State 8, Manhattan 1

Manhattan 100 000 0 — 1 3 1

Free State 042 200 x — 8 11 0

W — Elizabeth Patton. L — Chelsey Henry.

2B — Ayanna Gamble, MAN. 3B — Jasper Hawkins, FS.

FSHS highlights — Patton, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 11 K; Hailey Jump, 2-for-4, 2 RBIs; Emily Byers, 3-for-3, 2 runs, RBI; Hawkins, 2-for-3, 2 runs.