photo by: Nick Krug

Free State outfielder Hunter Gudde, jumping left, prepares to be mobbed by his Firebird teammates after making an unlikely catch in the outfield to seal the victory over Lawrence High on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at Free State High School. Among to first to greet him on the field are Mikey Corbett, left, Daniel Bryant (9) and Peyton Habiger, right.

Free State High senior Hunter Gudde is known for his dominance as a pitcher. But with a spot in the Class 6A state tournament on the line Wednesday, the Firebirds relied on his bat and his glove.

Playing against Lawrence High for the third time in eight days, Gudde hit a two-run single in the first inning, and it was all the Firebirds needed for a 2-0 victory in the regional championship at FSHS.

One out away from a second straight trip to the state tournament, FSHS right fielder Gudde saw a line drive into the gap and took off running to his right.

He didn’t have much time to think, and the sun was in his eyes, but he refused to give up on the play, extending his body for a spectacular diving catch to clinch a spot at state. Senior second baseman Mikey Corbett jumped in the air in celebration, and the defending state champion Firebirds sprinted off the bench and ended up in a dog-pile in shallow right field.

“I didn’t think I’d be able to catch it, but I just kind of laid out, and I was thankful I caught it,” Gudde said.

It was an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel between Free State senior Trevor Munsch and Lawrence senior Daonte Lowery, both left-handers.

The top-seeded Firebirds (18-4) struck in the first inning when junior Jacob Pavylak drew a leadoff walk, and junior Zion Bowlin hit a double into the right-center gap. With two runners in scoring position, Gudde laced a two-run single into center field, emptying the base paths.

“If he played football, he would’ve been an all-state football player,” FSHS coach Mike Hill said of Gudde. “I mean that sincerely. He’s just a kid who hates to lose. We talk to our kids all the time about wanting to win and hating to lose. There’s a huge difference. You want guys who hate to lose, and that’s him.”

Munsch was at his best, only giving up three hits in a complete-game effort. The 6-foot-4 lefty, signed to pitch at Oklahoma, struck out six and retired the final 11 LHS batters. He received plenty of support from his defense, including Gudde’s game-ending catch and a Derek Jeter-esque sliding stop and throw by shortstop Matt Hill in the second inning.

“He pitched with a mean mentality,” Bowlin said after the Firebirds recorded their seventh shutout.

The Firebirds hollered when they received their regional title plaque, but Mike Hill instructed his players to wait until the Lions cleared the field before they took celebratory pictures.

“You get into the postseason, you are playing against good competition, and the little things get magnified,” Mike Hill said. “When you make mistakes, they get magnified. Today, there wasn’t really a mistake on either side.”

The Firebirds were held hitless against Lowery for the final six innings. They drew two walks in the sixth inning — one intentionally to Bowlin — but were stranded when LHS senior closer Brad Kincaid struck out Gudde with a backdoor fastball to end the threat.

Lowery only threw seven pitches against the Firebirds last week, but kept batters off balance with his curveball and change-up.

“I’ve been really hard on Daonte Lowery for four years, and I know he didn’t like me very much,” LHS coach Brad Stoll said. “But what he did tonight for our program is a testament to the kind of kid he is. I just couldn’t be any more proud. He just pitched his butt off. He answered the challenge. Very, very proud of him.”

The fifth-seeded Lions (9-13) never had a runner reach third base against Munsch. Junior Jacob Unruh hit a leadoff double in the third inning, but his pinch-runner, Jackson Mallory, was thrown out at third trying to advance on a ground ball to shortstop.

“Hats off to them,” Lowery said. “They played hard, we played hard. It was a good game. It’s how the game works. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way. It’s all right. You learn from it.”

The Lions advanced to the regional title game with a 5-2 victory over Olathe Northwest, and the Firebirds moved on after an 8-1 win against Topeka High earlier in the afternoon.

“It’s heart-wrenching, man,” Stoll said, fighting back tears. “It absolutely breaks your heart that you don’t get to go to practice with those six (seniors) anymore. I just love coaching those guys. To not go to practice those guys, it’s just hard to put in words.”

The Firebirds will play in next week’s Class 6A state tournament, which begins Thursday at Kansas University’s Hoglund Ballpark. They will learn of their first-round opponent Saturday.

Free State 2, Lawrence 0

Lawrence 000 000 0 — 0 3 0

Free State 200 000 x — 2 2 0

W — Trevor Munsch, 3-3. L — Daonte Lowery, 1-4.

2B — Jacob Unruh, LHS; Zion Bowlin, FS.

LHS highlights — Lowery, 5.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 5 K; Unruh, 1-for-2; Brad Kincaid, 1-for-3, 0.1 IP, 1 K.

FSHS highlights — Munsch, 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K; Hunter Gudde, 1-for-2, walk, 2 RBIs; Bowlin, 1-for-2, walk, run.

Free State 8, Topeka 1

Topeka 100 000 0 — 1 3 3

Free State 013 400 x — 8 9 0

W — Aaron Funk, 6-0. L — Jon Walker.

2B — Saylor Caraway, Jon Walker, THS; Zion Bowlin, FS.

FSHS highlights — Funk, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 10 K; Jacob Pavlyak, 1-for-2, 2 HBP, 2 runs, RBI; Mikey Corbett, 1-for-3, walk, 2 runs; Bowlin, 2-for-4, 2 runs, 3 RBIs; Kyle Abrahamson, 1-for-2, walk, run, RBI; Hunter Gudde, 2-for-4, RBI.

Lawrence 5, Olathe Northwest 2

Lawrence 102 002 0 — 5 10 0

Northwest 010 000 1 — 2 6 1

W — Ethan Taylor, 3-2. L — Ian Thompson. S — Brad Kincaid, 3.

2B — Brad Kincaid (2), Luke Padia, LHS.

LHS highlights — Taylor, 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K; Kincaid, 2-for-3, HBP, run, RBI, 0.2 IP; Daonte Lowery, 1-for-3, HBP, run, RBI; Andrew Stewart, 2-for-3, run; Padia, 2-for-3, run, 2 stolen bases, 2 RBIs; Jacob Unruh, 2-for-4.