After six innings of scoreless baseball Thursday night at Free State High, the Firebirds and visiting Olathe Northwest looked poised for a long, extra-inning battle.

Ravens ace Austin Hansen had kept FSHS hitters off balance, as expected out of the senior who has committed to Oklahoma. Free State starter Trevor Munsch and reliever Casey Hearnen, meanwhile, kept pace, limiting mistakes and eliminating base-runners.

Finally, in the top of the seventh, ONW senior Saige Killion’s one-out triple to the right-field gap set the Ravens up for a gritty 2-0 win.

Free State pitcher Trevor Munsch delivers to an Olathe Northwest batter during the first inning on Thursday, April 30, 2015, at Free State High.

ONW senior Justin Ward drove in the go-ahead run, a walk and an error led to another score, and Free State (11-4) couldn’t pull off a bottom-of-the seventh miracle after loading the bases with two outs.

Senior right-hander Hansen only gave up four hits, and two were infield singles. He finished with a complete-game shutout, allowed just two walks, hit Mike Corbett twice and struck out nine Firebirds.

“When you face a dominant pitcher like that,” FSHS coach Mike Hill said, “you have to be willing to take some chances. You have to roll the dice from time to time. The notion that you’re gonna be able to string together three hits in a row to score a run is not strong. Not only is he a dominant pitcher, but he’s one who doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.”

That’s why the Firebirds made an aggressive play on the base paths in the bottom of the third, with runners at the corners. Hill signaled leadoff hitter Zion Bowlin to steal second, and once he took off, senior Marcileno Cortez headed for home, where he was tagged out.

Free State High's Cooper Karlin beats a throw to Olathe Northwest first baseman Saige Killion during the first inning on Thursday, April 30, 2015, at Free State.

Down 2-0 in the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Jacob Pavlyak led off by beating out a one-hop throw on a grounder to shortstop. Hansen retired the next two hitters before Cortez walked to extend the game. Bowlin even reached on a strikeout to load the bases before Hansen got Cooper Karlin to hit into a ground-out that nearly snuck through the right side of the infield.

It was one of those nights, senior Joel Spain said, when runs just proved hard to come by.

“They got the opportunities that we did, too,” said Spain, who perfectly executed a hit-and-run situation in the sixth and hustled for a double, “but they just came up with the hit at the right time, and we didn’t.”

Hill thought Free State’s pitchers were “terrific” in the loss. Hearnen picked off senior Sam Harding at first base in the sixth, and Munsch made two tough defensive plays in the fifth, including a come-backer that he astutely turned into an inning-ending double play.

The left-handed junior, making his first appearance in a month after injuring his throwing elbow, threw five innings, only walked one ONW batter, gave up four hits and had two strikeouts.

Munsch predicted the Firebirds, who had won seven of their previous eight, wouldn’t let the narrow defeat get to them.

“I think we can deal with it, come back and get the win tomorrow,” the pitcher said.

FSHS will play host to Blue Valley North at 4:30 p.m. today.

Olathe NW 000 000 2 — 2 6 0

Free State 000 000 0 — 0 4 2

W — Austin Hansen. L — Casey Hearnen, 2-2.

2B — Joel Spain, FSHS. 3B — Saige Killion, ONW.

Free State highlights — Trevor Munsch, 5 IP, 4 H, BB, 2 K’s, 0 R; Spain, 1-for-3; Cooper Karlin, 1-for-3, SB; Zion Bowlin, 1-for-4, SB; Jacob Pavlyak, 1-for-3.