LJWorld.com

Whew!!!

Now that was intense.

Two games won in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh set up a city showdown that featured just three runs and was not decided until the last inning. Talk about excitement.

By now, the city's high school baseball fans have heard all about Free State surviving in Round 1 when Nick Hassig was hit by a pitch or Lawrence High surviving thanks to a Tyler Bailey three-run homer in its first round game.

And, surely by now, everyone also knows that LHS beat Free State, 2-1, in the regional title game, sending the Lions back to state for the third straight season.

But before we look ahead to the Lions' chances at state --- early projections have them as a No. 4 seed --- let's take a look back at some of the unsung heroes of Wednesday's action.

Andy Urban pitches a gem
Bailey may very well have been the hero of the day (and the season) for the Lions on Wednesday, but the pitching performance from senior Andy Urban cannot be overlooked.

Urban pitched seven strong innings against Topeka High, giving up just three hits and two runs along the way. A closer look reveals that Urban's outing was even better than those numbers. The first run he gave up came on a fluke play. After striking out a Topeka High batter for the third out of the fourth inning, the ball slipped past LHS catcher Jake Green, allowing the batter to reach first and a runner from third base --- who had tripled on the only ball hit hard off of Urban all day --- to score. No error, no blame. Just a tough break.

Two innings later, with runners on, Urban appeared to pick off a runner at first base, but the ball came loose on the tag, allowing the runner to dive back in safely. It also allowed a runner from third to scoot home with Topeka High's second run.

Props to Urban for staying strong throughout so many tough breaks. He finished with five strikeouts and walked just two in picking up the victory.

Dorian Green strikes again
It's already been well documented that Dorian Green came in to slam the door on the Lions' 2-1, regional championship victory against Free State. But what might get overlooked is a play he made against Topeka High.

With the Trojans leading 1-0 and threatening to blow the game open in the sixth, Green fired a perfect shot from center field to third base to nab a THS runner trying to reach third. The throw (and tag by Clint Pinnick) had to be perfect. An inch or two either way and the runner would have been safe. But, true to form, the throw was right on the money, giving the Lions a much-needed lift in an inning that could have ended their season.

Minnis amazing
Albert Minnis's six innings of work on the mound against Free State were solid. He struck out seven, walked none and surrendered just one run.

But the pitching performance might have been his third best contribution of the day.

With the Lions down to their final strike against Topeka High in Round 1, Minnis legged out an infield single to break up a no-hitter and keep his team alive. Two batters later, Bailey stepped to the plate and we all know what happened then.

Said LHS coach Brad Stoll of Minnis's infield hit: "That's a Lawrence High kind of play right there. He ran a hard-90 like he's been taught to do and he kept us alive. He was a bulldog today and I'm proud of the way he battled."

In the next game, with the Firebirds threatening to take the lead in the third, Minnis fielded a suicide squeeze bunt from Tyler Hatesohl right in front of the plate, scooped it with his glove to Jake Green, who applied the tag on Connor Stremel to prevent the run.

Stremel steps up
Speaking of the Free State junior, talk about having a day. On a day when hits and runs were tough to come by, Stremel finished 2-for-6, with a triple, a run scored and two stolen bases.

Toalson terrific
In the Firebirds' opening round game against Junction City --- which FSHS won, 2-1 --- the starting pitching performance of sophomore Colin Toalson seemed to be completely lost in the shuffle.

Toalson pitched 5.2 innings and gave up just one run and three hits in holding down the Junction City hitters. He was taken out with two outs in the sixth after a leadoff double left a runner at third base with two outs.

Before he left --- in favor of Cody Kukuk --- Toalson had recorded eight strikeouts and walked just one. The only real blemish on his line was a wind-aided solo home run by Zach Mann in the fourth inning.

"I thought Colin Toalson was great," FSHS coach Mike Hill said. "He just left one pitch up in the zone and a kid put a nice swing on it and got it up into the wind and it went out. But other than that, Colin pitched a wonderful game and did everything we asked him to do."

In the nightcap, Toalson was his usual reliable self in the field, making the kinds of plays that have many calling him this city's next great defensive shortstop.

How about that Aaron Rea?
Credit goes out to LHS senior Aaron Rea for sticking with it despite a rough afternoon.

After striking out in four of his first five at-bats on the day, Rea came through when it counted most, picking up a sixth-inning single in the nightcap that ultimately became the winning run.

In addition, Rea was ultra-solid at shortstop, continually making tough plays throughout the day.

Shout-out for an out-of-towner
Hats off to Topeka High junior Ty Geary, who tossed a no-hitter through 6 and two-thirds innings before having his day ruined by the Bailey home run.

Geary, a big, powerful right-hander, took advantage of an impatient batch of Lions by continually overpowering them high in the zone. He mixed a tough curve ball in just enough with his high heat to keep the Lions from sniffing a hit until the final inning.

Geary's final line: 7 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 11 Ks, 1 BB, 1 HB.

Not too shabby. Expect to hear more from this kid next season.

Well there it is, a look back at all of the things we couldn't get into print in today's paper. It was one heck of a day all the way around and it ended with a Lawrence High team heading back to state for one more shot at bringing home a state title.

We'll have plenty more throughout the coming week on the Lions' charge towards state here at LJWorld.com as well as in the print edition of the Journal-World. Be sure to check back often.