photo by: Chance Parker

Lawrence High first baseman Blake Schimmel connects with a ball against Blue Valley North. Lawrence High fell 6-0 Saturday, April 24, 2021 at Hoglund Ballpark.

A combination of stellar pitching and clutch hitting led Lawrence High’s baseball team to a 6-4 victory at Shawnee Mission West on Tuesday.

Trailing 3-2 entering the final inning, the Lions put together a four-run rally in the top of the seventh to come away with the road win. It was a frame that started with a leadoff single from Devin Neal, who later scored the game-tying run on a RBI single from Carlos Vasquez.

But Lawrence (10-7) wasn’t done there.

LHS loaded the bases with a walk by Cole Mondi before Braden Hoffman was hit by a pitch. Blake Schimmel then came through with a bases-clearing single to center, giving LHS a 6-3 advantage. Shawnee Mission West ended up scoring one run in the seventh.

The late-game theatrics were only made possible because of a strong showing on the mound by the Lions. Ike Cobb got the start, giving up three unearned runs on two hits over 5 1/3 innings of work. He struck out three batters and walked five.

John Green recorded the final five outs for LHS, surrendering one run on one hit to go along with two whiffs.

“Ike Cobb and John Green were awesome tonight,” LHS head coach Brad Stoll said. “They were the difference.”

Vasquez led the offense with three hits to go along with two RBIs. Evan Bannister and Karson Green both delivered a double for the team’s only extra-base hits of the night.

LHS will travel to Mill Valley at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

LHS 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 — 6 10 4

SMW 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 — 4 3 0

Free State players Drew Bradford (1) and Harrison Juhl pound fists after Bradford scored against Olathe North during the fifth inning on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at Free State High School.

FSHS baseball loses on senior night

Free State’s impressive win streak came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Olathe East Tuesday night at FSHS on senior night. It marked the first loss for the Firebirds since April 19, as they had won five games in a row entering Tuesday.

After giving up one run in the top of the first, FSHS (10-8) evened the score in the home half with its lone run of the game. Senior Drew Bradford started things off with a leadoff triple before eventually coming home on a RBI groundout from senior Joey Wood.

Olathe East reclaimed the lead with a run in the fourth before adding an insurance run in the sixth. The Hawks collected seven hits in the low-scoring affair, while the Firebirds were held to just three hits. Juniors Maddox Burkitt and Grant Gregory each recorded base knocks in the loss.

Senior Michael Uhler got the start and went the distance for the Firebirds. He gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits over seven innings. Uhler struck out four batters and walked two in the loss.

Uhler, Bradford, Wood, Keaton Stramberg, Jake Roszak, Matt Gabriel, Ben Stallard, Gage Callaghan, Anthony Lewis and Alex Carrillo were all recognized on senior night.

Free State will travel to Gardner Edgerton at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

OE 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 — 3 7 0

FSHS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 3 1

Veritas baseball handed lopsided loss

The Veritas baseball team gave up multiple runs in all five innings of its 14-4 loss at Lansing on Tuesday.

Lansing scored four runs in the first and there was never really any doubt about the outcome after that. Veritas (5-7) plated three runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth, recording a total of eight hits as a team.

Draven Webb, Will Bartkoski and TJ Crews all had two-hit performances to lead the way for the Eagles. Crews, who delivered the team’s only extra-base hit of the game with a double, also paced the squad with three RBIs.

Veritas will play host to Midland Adventist Academy at 4 p.m. Friday.

VCHS 0 0 0 3 1 X X — 4 8 2

LNSG 4 3 2 2 3 X X — 14 9 2

Local golf teams in action at home

After plenty of tournaments away from home, Free State and Lawrence High’s boys golf teams were in action at the Lawrence Country Club on Monday for the Justin Siler Memorial Invitational.

FSHS led the way for the local teams, placing fifth in the team standings with a total score of 349. Lawrence placed 13th out of 14 teams with a mark of 439. Shawnee Mission East won the event with a team score of 311.

Freshman Jack Randall continues to lead the way for the Firebirds. He ended up in a tie for 11th after shooting a round of 83. Seniors Jackson McMillan (18th) and Cameron Packard (25th) ended up in the top-25 with a 86 and 88, respectively.

LHS was led by freshman Gunnar Wayenberg, who carded a 96 on the day. It was good enough for him to finish in a tie for 47th place on the individual leaderboard.

Shawnee Mission East sophomore Thomas Gogel won the individual title after carding a 72.

Team standings: 1. SM East 311; 2. Olathe NW 327; 3. Olathe West 335; 4. Olathe South 342; 5. Free State 349; 6. Olathe East 349; 7. SM South 353; 8. SM Northwest 360; 9. Mill Valley 365; 10. Olathe North 385; 11. SM West 393; 12. Gardner Edgerton 406; 13. Lawrence 439; 14. SM North.

FSHS results: T11. Jack Randall 83; T18. Jackson McMillan 86; T25. Cameron Packard 88; 40. Reece Gray 92; 46. Dawson Pfannenstiel 95; T54. Nate Pilakowski 101.

LHS results: T47. Gunnar Wayenberg 96; T58. Austin Pennybaker 102; 71. Macade Lewis 113; 78. Mike Williams 128; Dallas Ostronic 130; 81. Evan Liakos 134.

BSA soccer earns 6-3 loss

Bishop Seabury’s girls soccer team was handed a 6-3 defeat by Ottawa on the road on Monday.

Due to injuries, the Seahawks are down to just one substitute while playing shorthanded. Summer Hartzler scored two goals for Bishop Seabury in the loss, while Helena Gutierrez added the other score.

BSA (1-6) will travel to Wyandotte on Tuesday.

LHS diver finishes in fourth

During a rare diving-only event on Saturday, Lawrence High’s Emily Brandt led the way for the local athletes at the Raider Diving Invite in the Shawnee Mission Aquatic Center.

Brandt finished in fourth place as an individual diver, posting a final score of 281.15. She had the third-highest mark after the semis with a 234.65. Olathe North’s Delaney Stanley won the diving title with a final score of 330.35.

Free State’s Audrey Hoey-Kummerow netted ninth with a mark of 240.35. Meara Kingery of LHS placed 12th with a 227.20. FSHS divers Maya Huang (218.90) and Josephine Warrior (208.45) took 14th and 15th, respectively.

Lawrence’s Darby Van Fleet finished with a score of 201.75 to claim 16th out of 17 divers.