There were still five outs to record and a handful of crucial moments that came before and after it, but Free State High first baseman Nate Strathman’s flawless execution in the bottom of the sixth inning of Saturday’s Class 6A state semifinal victory over Blue Valley at Hoglund Ballpark was the play that sent the Firebirds to the state championship game and the brink of their second consecutive state title.

The repeat was not to be, as the Firebirds (20-5) fell to Shawnee Mission East, 4-3, in heart-breaking fashion in extra innings in the title game.

But without Strathman’s clutch play, the current version of one of the most consistently strong prep programs in Lawrence since Free State first opened its doors would not have come as close as it did to making history.

With Free State leading 1-0 and senior closer Hunter Gudde hunting the save after five stellar innings from starter Trevor Munsch, Blue Valley touched the Free State ace and Sunflower League pitcher of the year for three consecutive hits, some hit hard, others hit right. Just like that, Blue Valley had the bases loaded with no outs and Free State was in a jam.

But all of that changed when a 3-2 pitch from Gudde to Blue Valley’s Daniel Hegarty was ripped to Strathman at first, who knocked it down after one hop, recovered and cut down the lead runner at the plate. Often times, when a defender is scrambling in a pressure situation, the player will go with the easy play to ensure that at least something goes right. Not Strathman. Instead of scurrying to get the easier out at first base, which would have allowed the tying run to score, he gathered himself and the ball and fired a strike to the plate.

Free State catcher Jaden Moore pumped his fist after the put-out, a clear sign of just how big the play was.

Strathman knew it, too. In fact, he knew the minute the ball was hit. He just didn’t let it impact his performance.

“Those thoughts were in my head,” he said of the magnitude of both the play and the situation. “But I didn’t think I’d make a bad throw on the play.”

Neither did Gudde, who was still breathing sighs of relief 30 minutes after the official scorer penciled in 3-2 in the score book.

“I expect that out of him,” Gudde said. “He’s a great first baseman and he’s come a long way throughout the year, defensively especially, and he’s a big time player…. Plays like that can determine a win or a loss, and one did today.”

Senior second baseman Mikey Corbett followed Strathman’s gem with one of his own, fielding a slow rolling ground ball, tagging the runner and throwing to first in one motion to get Free State out of a seemingly devastating, bases-loaded-no-outs jam in the bottom of the sixth. And one inning later, junior shortstop Matt Hill kept his errorless season going by roaming deep into the hole at short and firing a shot to first that Strathman came off the base to snag but recovered in time to tap his foot on the bag and end the game.

Offensively, both of Free State’s runs in the 2-0 semifinal victory over top-seeded Blue Valley came in typical Firebird fashion, with discipline and sound base running giving Free State just enough of an edge to plate what it needed in yet another huge game.

But none of that would have mattered had it not been for Strathman, a junior in just his sixth week of varsity baseball, who, as recently as April was playing second base for the Free State junior varsity squad.

Free State coach Mike Hill said Strathman’s offensive production and continued development on defense earned him a spot in the lineup. And boy were the Firebirds glad he was there on Saturday morning.

“Here’s the key,” Hill said. “Nate stuck with it. Knocked it down, picked it up and threw a bullet. I’m really happy for him. He’s come a long, long way.

“That was a tough situation we were in, but I didn’t sense for one minute that our kids thought we weren’t going to get out of it and win the game.”

They did. And then fell painstakingly short of a second consecutive title a few hours later. That second part will sting for a while. But every time it does, especially for Corbett and Strathman, the entire Free State team and those two infielders should remember a couple of clutch plays in the sixth inning in the semifinal that gave the Firebirds all any team ever wants — a chance to play for a championship.

That will make them smile. Every time.