Free State junior Grace Patchen rounds first base after hitting an RBI single in the Firebirds' 8-2 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday at FSHS.

Free State High softball coach Lee Ice marveled about senior Mayah Daniels’ pitching performance against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday at FSHS, and he was glad to see that the Firebirds’ offense had her back in the late innings in an 8-2 victory over the Cougars.

Daniels went the distance in the circle — holding the Cougars to two runs on six hits, while striking out six and walking one.

“Coach Ice and I really like to keep them on their toes,” Daniels said. “We like to bounce back between change up and fastball. I feel like we’re finally getting it together.”

Daniels’ lone mistake was an 0-2 pitch that was left over the plate to SM Northwest No. 3 hitter MaKenzie Cooper in the top of the third inning. The junior shortstop roped a two-RBI double to right-center that put the Cougars up 2-1.

“If she throws that away, we come back with change up, change up, fastball and I think we have her,” Ice said. “That’s the only pitch that she didn’t throw where we needed it to be thrown today.”

The Free State pitcher locked in after that, though, and Daniels helped her own cause at the plate. Daniels sparked the Firebirds’ four-run rally in the bottom of the fifth started with an infield single. Daniels went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

The Firebirds packed plenty of punch behind Daniels in the No. 3 and 4 holes between senior Dacia Starr and sophomore Emma Stanwix. Starr and Stanwix combined to go 7-for-8 with four doubles and five RBIs. Ice acknowledged that Stanwix is one of the most vital hitters in the Firebirds’ lineup with batting behind Starr.

“We need her to be because otherwise they pitch around Dacia. We needed somebody to protect her in the lineup, and Emma has stepped up tremendously to fill that spot — hit doubles, RBIs. (She is a) good contact hitter,” Ice said. “(She is) only a sophomore. And it’s good to see Mayah and Dacia start hitting the ball a little bit because they’re probably my two best hitters and they’re hitting .300 and .250. Once they start going, this team can get on a little bit of a roll offensively.”

Free State added three more runs in the sixth to put the Cougars away, and improved to 2-3 on the season.

The schedule will start to pick up in a hurry for the Firebirds, who will play next against SM North at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Shawnee Mission Softball Complex.

“We’ve got about 11 games in less than a 14-day period, so it’s good to see the bats come alive.” Ice said.

SM Northwest 002 000 0 — 2 6 0

Free State 100 043 X — 8 18 2

W — Mayah Daniels. L — Jennaka Bultman.

2B — Dacia Starr (2), Emma Stanwix (2), Mayah Daniels, FS; MaKenzie Cooper, SMNW.

Free State highlights — Dacia Starr 4-for-4, 2 RBI, 3 runs,; Emma Stanwix 3-for-4, 3 RBI, 1 run; Mayah Daniels 3-for-4, 2 runs, 7.0 innings pitched, 2 ER, 6H, 6K, BB.