photo by: Chance Parker

Free State's George Thornton hits the ball during a doubles match against Lawrence High on Tuesday afternoon at LHS on April 13, 2021.

Behind a balanced effort, Free State’s tennis squad earned a runner-up finish at the Sunflower League tournament on Thursday at the College Boulevard Activity Center.

The Firebirds had both doubles teams and one singles player earn a medal on the day. They scored 79 points a team, trailing only Shawnee Mission East’s mark of 109 to win the Sunflower League team title. Olathe West finished in third place with 77 points.

Ben Melvin and George Thornton led the way with a fifth-place finish in the doubles bracket. They earned a 8-5 win over Shawnee Mission South’s tandem in the fifth-place match to end the day. It led to an all-league selection for the duo.

Free State’s duo of Jake Hedges and Minh Vu netted ninth place in the doubles bracket, ending the day with a 8-4 victory over Olathe West’s tandem. Britton Snyder also earned a medal with a ninth-place finish in the singles bracket. Jared Loos came in 14th place in singles as well.

Lawrence High was led by its top doubles tandem once again. Drew Dean and Cuyler Dunn finished in fourth place in the double bracket after losing in the third-place match. Lawrence’s Diego Klish came in 16th place in the singles bracket.

The Lions placed 11th in the team standings with a total score of 49.

FSHS/LHS results

Team scores: 1. SM East 109; 2. Free State 79; 3. Olathe West 77; 4. SM South 73; 5. Olathe NW 68; 6. Mill Valley 54; 7. Olathe East 52; 8. Olathe South 50; 8. SM Northwest 50; 8. SM West 50. 11. Lawrence 49; 12. Olathe North 46; 13. Gardner Edgerton 37; 14. SM North 18.

Singles: Britton Snyder, FS, 9th place; Jared Loos, FS, 14th place; Deigo Klish, LHS, 16th place.

Doubles: Drew Dean/Cuyler Dunn, LHS, 4th place; Ben Melvin/George Thornton, FS, 5th place; Jake Hedges/Minh Vu, FS, 9th place.

Free State baseball keeps winning

Free State’s baseball team extended its win streak to five in a row with a 7-4 victory over Olathe South on Thursday at FSHS.

The Firebirds (10-7) stayed hot offensively, recording 10 hits as a team. They scored three runs in the first and added three more in the third. FSHS had to erase multiple deficits, including a 2-0 hole in the first.

Four different FSHS players posted multiple hits. Maddox Burkitt, Drew Bradford, Harrison Juhl and Brady Kern all finished with two hits apiece. Juhl and Ben Stallard each recorded a double, while Bradford delivered a triple.

Gage Callaghan was credited with the win for FSHS, throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. He gave up one hit and struck out three batters.

FSHS will host Olathe East at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

OS 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 — 4 9 2

FS 3 0 3 1 0 0 X — 7 10 0

LHS baseball earns 10-0 victory

A strong pitching performance and explosive offensive attack led Lawrence High’s baseball to a 10-0 victory over Shawnee Mission South on Thursday.

The Lions (9-7) scored in four different innings, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. They added one run in the third before scoring three in the fifth and four more in the sixth to grab their second win in a row.

It was more than enough offense to support a gem from LHS junior pitcher Grant Cleavinger. He threw 86 pitches over six scoreless frames. Cleavinger gave up three hits, while striking out seven batters and walking two in the win.

Blake Schimmel led the Lawrence offense by going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and one run scored. He paced the Lions in both hits and runs driven in while batting from the No. 7 spot in the batting order.

Junior Evan Bannister was just as impressive from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. He smacked a pair of doubles, going 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored. Karson Green, who also recorded a double, went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored. Braden Hoffman tallied two hits as well.

LHS will travel to Shawnee Mission West at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

SMS 0 0 0 0 0 0 X — 0 3 2

LHS 0 2 1 0 3 4 X — 10 12 0

LHS softball loses at home

In its first game since April 16, Lawrence’s High softball suffered a 9-2 loss to Gardner Edgerton on Thursday at LHS.

The Lions (2-9) gave up five unearned runs off no hits in the first, and were never able to recover from that. Hailey Ramirez finished with two hits, scoring two runs in the process. Sydney Delfelder posted a pair of hits as well.

Charlee Burghart made an impressive diving snag in the sixth, and added a single on the offensive end.

LHS will host Olathe East at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

GE 5 2 1 1 0 0 0 — 9

LHS 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 — 2