photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State catcher Carter Laubach claps to his teammates after hitting a triple in a 6-3 City Showdown win over Lawrence on Monday, May 11, 2026, at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence.

For the fifth straight time, Free State baseball got the win over Lawrence, as the Firebirds took advantage of early miscues to win 6-3 at Hoglund Ballpark on Monday.

For the seniors on Free State’s roster, their last loss to Lawrence High came as freshmen during a regular-season matchup at Hoglund Ballpark — the rest of the team is undefeated against the Lions. To have gone the majority of their high school careers consistently beating their cross-town rival is special.

“We came here and got run-ruled, actually,” shortstop Ben Graves said of that lone loss to Lawrence. “It’s felt good getting to beat them a lot. It’s always fun playing here and getting to beat up on them.”

Three early errors on Lawrence led to Free State taking an early two-run lead. Center fielder Ryker Mahnke, who reached on an error, and shortstop Ben Graves, who singled, both scored the first runs of the game in the top of the first inning. Lawrence pitcher Hudson Hardesty threw two strikeouts to end the run there.

“Typically in a game like this, there are some jitters early,” Free State coach Mike Hill said. “It’s not uncommon to see mistakes on both sides. But when you get those opportunities, you want to blow it open. We didn’t quite do that, but a lot of credit goes to Hudson.”

It was another strong night for Free State on the mound as pitcher Zane Shaw threw a season-high 16 strikeouts. He started with two in the first inning as the Firebirds quickly retired the side.

The Firebirds picked right back up to start the second inning as Carter Laubach tripled in the first at-bat. Hardesty threw back-to-back strikeouts again, but pinch runner Donnie Krehbiel scored on a wild pitch. The Lions got out of the inning with Graves’ groundout to Hardesty.

“Offensively, we didn’t have a great night, and a lot of that has to do with Hudson,” Hill said. “I thought Hudson was terrific. He’s player of the game. He kept us off balance. He’s a handful.”

Shaw struck out the side in the bottom of the second, pushing his numbers up to five strikeouts in six batters faced. Hill was impressed with his command in the game, especially given his shorter-than-usual rest.

“He doesn’t walk anybody, and we’re decent defensively, so he’s going to make you earn it,” Hill said. “To Lawrence’s credit, the three runs they scored, they earned. But the kid, he’s special.”

Shaw said he felt good going in, even with having just four off days.

Lawrence held the Firebirds scoreless in the top of the third as Hardesty continued to deal, striking out Shaw for the final out. The Firebirds returned the favor as Shaw struck out the Lions in order.

Laubach got his second triple of the day in the fourth inning and reached home after a balk. Mahnke reached first after being hit by a pitch, and Graves brought him home on an RBI double, giving the Firebirds the 5-0 lead.

At the plate, Hardesty got the Lions going with a single that was Lawrence’s first hit of the night. Some solid baserunning led Hardesty home to get the Lions their first run. Not long after, designated hitter Nate Kress, who got on base after being hit by a pitch, scored on third baseman Brandt Edmonds’ single.

“I’ve got to have better stuff,” Shaw said of his fourth-inning performance as the Lions scored some runs. “Against great teams, they’ll barrel that stuff if it’s hanging. I just have to be better at being my best during the middle of the game, not just at the beginning and the end.”

Free State is a veteran team, and the Firebirds are confident in moments of adversity to collect themselves and get back on track. Defensively, the Firebirds did just that.

“I feel pretty confident, especially with the defense, that if I’m not on, the defense is going to make plays,” Shaw said. “It’s not an issue for us to roll over when something bad happens to us, especially if its hits.”

The Lions carried that momentum into the fifth as Hardesty threw two more strikeouts to hold the Firebirds scoreless. Shaw settled back in and struck out the side in the bottom of the frame.

Free State got its third triple in the top of the sixth inning following a Lawrence pitching change. Mahnke brought designated hitter Eli Berns home with a sacrifice fly for the sixth and final Free State run of the day, but a groundout in the next at-bat put the Lions back at the plate.

The Firebirds were happy with the run they scored in the sixth to give the team more of a cushion after the Lions’ offensive burst, but the team still believed that there’s work to do offensively. Hill said that the team “didn’t produce runs we need to to beat good teams,” and the team reiterated that point.

Shaw threw two more strikeouts in the sixth as Lawrence only got Hardesty on base with a double. Relief pitcher Brady Wollesen and the Lions relinquished only one hit from third baseman Owen Lester in the top of the seventh to put the Lions back at the plate needing four runs to keep the game going.

The Lions got one run in as Edmonds tripled in the bottom of the seventh, and he scored on shortstop Gavin Taylor’s groundout. But Shaw finished strong, throwing three strikeouts to end the game and secure Free State’s fifth win in a row over Lawrence.

For Free State, they’re looking to finish strong and build offensive momentum into the playoffs.

“We’ve got to go into these next two games and focus on better at-bats and approaches at the plate so we can feel confident going into regionals and state,” Graves said. “Our offense isn’t bad, but we still have work to do to win a state championship again.”

Lawrence, who fell to 7-17, will finish with Washburn Rural on Thursday at home. The 20-4 Free State Firebirds will host Gardner Edgerton on Wednesday and Park Hill on Thursday.