photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Free State junior Tyler Jeffries takes a swing during the second inning of a 8-7 win over Platte County on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.A.

It took a few pitchers to get the job done, but the Free State baseball team answered a Platte County surge with one of their own Saturday, digging out of a 6-2 hole and holding off the Pirates for an 8-7 win Saturday in the their final matchup of the River City Baseball Festival.

Free State junior Tyler Jeffries got the start, allowing six runs on three hits, three walks and three strikeouts before senior Adam Coup stepped onto the mound with two outs in the fourth. Coup, going 2.1 innings on the hill, finished with one run allowed two hits, four walks and three strikeouts.

The Firebirds got the first word when a two-run RBI by sophomore Cole Wright handed Free State a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second, crossing sophomores Ryan Weishaar and Andrew Zimmerschied. The Pirates nabbed Wright heading for second and a groundout by Jeffries ended the inning.

With two outs in the top of the third, Platte County tied the ballgame at 2-2 with a two-run RBI single by Cameron Dean. Then, the Pirates took a one-run lead with another RBI single, this time by James Schwieder, driving in baserunners from second and third.

Platte County’s Jordan Hedrick extended the Pirates lead to 5-2 with a two-run RBI, and Scwieder followed Hedrick up with a sacrifice RBI to put Free State in a four-run hole.

“We did not command multiple pitches well today,” Free State coach Mike Hill said. “And that’s going to happen. It happens at the level where they’re paying millions of dollars, and yet they still competed. Adam’s pitching, especially, kept us in there.”

Down 6-2 with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Free State snapped right back with RBIs by freshman Ben Graves (1B), junior Kyle Graves (1B) and senior Brady Kern (1B). Knotted up at 6-6, Kyle Graves charged home seeking the lead but was tagged out by Hedrick ending the fourth.

Coup kept Platte County quiet in the fifth, helping Free State reclaim the lead, 8-6, with a two-run RBI single by Jeffries in the bottom of the fifth.

In the top of the sixth, Weishaar couldn’t quite make the play on a pop-up by Platte County’s Aidan Norris, crossing one run for the Pirates. Then, things got messier for Coup. With one out and the bases loaded, Coup buckled down to strike out Platte County’s Brian Chandler and escape the side when Nick Baker ground out to second.

Heading into the seventh, with the Firebirds (13-4) clinging to a one-run lead, Hill pulled Coup from the mound in favor of junior Kyle Graves. Graves, who started the day at shortstop, struck out Platte County’s Jordan Hedrick on a 2-2 count to earn the save.

“He’s a high-level player,” Hill said of Graves. “He had a tough day at shortstop, but he doesn’t let it affect the rest of his game. He understands the game and he knows he’s going to maker mistakes. This game is not easy.”

The strong seventh-inning finish was a high note for Free State to end its festival run on after a rainy Friday, Hill said.

“Yesterday was just not fun,” Hill said. “But, that’s spring baseball. More importantly, was finding a way to win when it was ugly. I respect the kids for hanging in there (today) when our backs were against the wall and toughening up a little bit.”

Free State next hosts Shawnee Mission South on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE:

Platte County 003 301 0 – 7 5 2

Free State 020 420 X – 8 8 5

W – Jeffries; L – Doll; Save – K. Graves.

Highlights for Free State: Kern 1-for-4, 2 RBI; Jeffries 1-for-3, 2 RBI; Cupps 2-for-3, 1 R; Wright 1-for-1, 1 R, RBI; B. graves 1-for-4, 1 R, RBI; K. Graves 1-for-4, RBI, 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K; Jeffries 3.2 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K; Coup 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 3 K.