Lawrence High senior outfielder Alexander Guy (12) slides into home safely against Rockhurst on Saturday afternoon at LHS.

Lawrence High baseball players have a philosophy when they are on the base paths: put the defense on its heels.

The Lions certainly did that, making the most of each base runner in a 10-5 victory over Rockhurst (Mo.) on Saturday afternoon at LHS, earning their first win of the season.

In the first two innings, the Lions scored five runs through only two hits. Instead, they put pressure on the Hawklets with their aggressiveness.

With runners on second and third in the first inning, following a sacrifice fly by Devin Lauts and RBI single from Austin Quick, LHS junior Andrew Stewart was caught in a rundown between third and home on a ground ball back to the pitcher.

Stewart didn’t panic, sprinting home and sliding under the tag.

“I was really pleased with the way we ran the bases,” LHS coach Brad Stoll said. “I mean, I thought we took advantage of some things.”

In the second inning, LHS senior Alexander Guy drew a leadoff walk, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground ball to shortstop, sliding safely across the plate as Rockhurst’s catcher dropped the ball in an attempt to throw him out.

“We’re an aggressive base running team. That’s how we’re coached,” said Guy, who scored twice on two walks. “We’re always taught to time the pitches down, so we go when we can.”

The Lions (1-3) opened the third inning with three straight singles. Braden Solko hit a run-scoring single to center field and Joe Harms scored when the center fielder overthrew third base trying to stop him from advancing to third base.

On Saturday, each gamble on the base paths paid off.

“We spend a lot of time, I mean the first 20 minutes of practice are spent on base running,” Stoll said. “They know it’s important to us. They know they have a lot of freedom. A lot of the bases that were stolen were on kids just being aggressive and being into the game.”

Rockhurst (5-2) scored three runs during a two-out rally in the third inning, aided by a walk and hit batsman.

But unlike Thursday, when the Lions surrendered a five-run first inning lead, sophomore pitcher Hank Dobson escaped further damage by inducing a ground ball back to himself.

Afterward, any of Lawrence’s defensive troubles were a distant memory with standout plays. Rockhurst’s Zach Pitzl hit a hard grounder to third base, which deflected off of a diving Solko’s glove. At shortstop, Stewart was in the right position and fired to first for the unconventional out.

The next batter, Ty Dolinghaus, drilled a line drive back to Dobson on the mound, who caught the ball and fired to second base for an inning-ending double play.

“It was really good to see Hank, especially as a sophomore, get out there and really give us a good four innings,” Stewart said. “I was glad and I feel like he really boosted his confidence also.”

The Lions made the most of their six hits, which included Quick’s 3-for-3 performance at the plate with a walk, two runs and an RBI. On the mound, in relief of Dobson, Quick tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out three.

The Lions will play their fourth straight home game against Olathe South at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Rockhurst 003 020 0 — 5 9 2

Lawrence 413 110 x — 10 6 1

W — Hank Dobson, 1-0. L — Nick Johnson.

LHS highlights — Austin Quick, 3-for-3, walk, RBI, 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K; Joe Harms, 1-for-3, run, 2 RBI; Braden Solko, 1-for-4, run, 2 RBI; Alexander Guy, 0-for-1, 2 walks, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases; Sammy Hogsett, 1-for-4, run, RBI.