photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Free State junior Kyle Graves delivers a strike during the first inning of Thursday's 2-0 victory over Shawnee Mission Northwest on Apri, 13, 2023, at Free State High School.

The Free State baseball team got out of a jam in the sixth inning and cruised to a 2-0 home win over Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday.

Junior Kyle Graves got the the start for the Firebirds (10-1), and he allowed just four hits, two walks and 12 total strikeouts through seven innings. He kept Northwest quiet for most of the afternoon, but his biggest challenge came in the sixth.

The Cougars were down two runs entering the sixth, but they loaded the bases on consecutive base hits by Wyatt Nickoley and Jamon Beck. Graves then walked Vaibhav Marada, filling the bags with two outs. But after a brief mound visit by Free State, Jake Congrove grounded out to end the inning, leaving the Firebirds without a scratch.

“Total faith in (Graves) and total faith in our defense,” Free State coach Mike Hill said. “I thought Kyle was really good. I thought he controlled the game from the mound today.”

The first hit of the game, a triple by Graves, placed the Firebirds in prime scoring position early on with two outs in the bottom of the first. A flyout by junior Tyler Jeffries retired the side, however, stranding Graves on base.

Entering the third, the game was still scoreless, and Free State sophomore Andrew Zimmerschied couldn’t quite grab a short-distance hit from Jack Wineinger, resulting in a base hit — the Cougars’ first hit of the game. Wineinger stole his way to second but got no further before the end of the inning.

Free State then finally landed its first punch: an error-induced double by Graves that brought home Mason Lester (3B), giving Free State a one-run lead in the bottom of the third. Jeffries then joined the action with an RBI single, bringing Graves home from second before the third inning closed.

Graves said he was “kind of accustomed to” moving from the mound to plate.

“It’s fun to do it,” he said. “If I’m pitching with a lead, I’m very confident we can hold it there and we’ll be set.”

After a quiet fourth inning, Northwest’s Wineinger cleared the infield for a single, his second of the game, with two outs in the top of the fifth. But Graves struck out Keith Buford to retire the side. He maintained the Firebirds’ two-run lead through the sixth and into the seventh and was gifted two groundouts by the Free State defense. He earned the shutout win after striking out Buford on a 2-2 count.

Now, the Firebirds’ win total for the season has reached double digits, but Hill said that didn’t really matter.

“Every day you walk out there, you’re 0-0,” Hill said. “It’s about the next day, the next game and improvement. In high school baseball, in Kansas, it’s a one-game season at the end. Play your best baseball at the end of the year and see where the chips fall where they may.”

BOX SCORE:

Shawnee Mission Northwest 000 000 0 – 0 4 1

Lawrence-Free State 002 000 X – 2 5 1

W – Graves; L – Thomas.

Highlights for Free State: Jeffries 1-for-3, RBI; Lester; 1-for-3, 1 R, 3B; K. Graves 7.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 12 K, 1-for-3, 3B.