From the on-deck circle, Free State left fielder Daniel Bryant thought the ball was going to land over the wall with ease.

Instead, Jacob Pavlyak’s leadoff double in the third inning ricocheted off the top of the left field wall.

But that was about the only thing that didn’t go the Firebirds way, as Bryant plated him with an ensuing double down the left field line. The consecutive doubles sparked a five-run frame, which pushed Free State’s baseball team past Shawnee Mission South in convincing fashion, 13-1, at home Tuesday.

“We had a rough week last week, so for us, we just needed to get our offense going,” Bryant said. “We put a big focus on offense this week, since last week we struggled and we have struggled in years past. So we put it on ourselves to make sure we come out and do better offensively.”

The mercy-ruled win in the fifth marked Free State’s second straight double-digit victory since falling, 3-1, at Olathe East last Thursday. Since that loss, the Firebirds (5-2) have emphasized the importance of getting off to a strong start, particularly on the offensive end.

And they did just that, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning off two hits, both of which were singles by Pavlyak and Zion Bowlin. The two seniors finished 2-for-4 and 2-for-3, respectively. In fact, the top of the order — Pavlyak, Bryant, and Bowlin — combined to go 6-for-9 and scored seven of the team’s 13 runs.

“I do think when you get a couple in the first, it helps set the tone,” FSHS coach Mike Hill said. “I thought we hit some balls well. We had some opportunities that we were able to take advantage of.”

Senior catcher Jaden Moore was the only other player to record multiple hits, as he went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. He drove in both runs on consecutive singles during the big scoring outbursts in the third and fourth inning.

Following back-to-back doubles to begin the third inning, FSHS strung four straight singles together by Nate Strathman, Dale Miller, Moore and Matt Hill, to put the game well out of reach.

The Firebirds added six more in the fourth off just two hits, against three different Raiders’ relievers. During the fourth, Shawnee Mission South walked five of the 12 batters and allowed another one to reach via fielding error.

“It’s awesome when a team makes mistakes and beats itself, that’s when it gets easier,” Bryant said. “So we just came out and got a few hits and they took care of themselves. It was a good day for everybody.”

Meanwhile, senior Aaron Funk got the win in the lopsided affair. He allowed just one run off three hits across a total of four innings. He fanned four batters, including three in the first inning.

But most importantly, he walked just one batter, his lowest mark of the season, and avoided deep counts throughout the evening.

“The pleasing thing was the fourth, when it was three up and three down with three ground ball outs,” Hill said. “He understands that it is OK to pitch to contact. He’s got the ability to strike everybody out, but that takes a lot of pitches.”

SM South 001 00 — 1 3 1

Free State 205 6x — 13 10 0

W — Aaron Funk, 3-2. L — Griffin Larsen.

2B — Jacob Pavlyak, Daniel Bryant, FSHS.

3B — Dale Miller, FSHS.

FSHS highlights — Jacob Pavlyak, 2-for-4, 2 runs, RBI; Daniel Bryant, 2-for-2. 3 runs, RBI; Zion Bowlin 2-for-3, 2 runs; Jaden Moore, 2-for-3, 2 RBIs; Funk, 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.