Free State senior Sara Raszak tags out the Olathe North baserunner during the Class 6A State Tournament. Free State fell 3-2 after 11 inning Friday, May 28, 2021.

Shawnee — It took 11 innings and all kinds of clutch and crazy plays for a team to finally knock the Free State softball team off of its perch as the two-time defending state champions.

But that’s exactly what sixth-seeded Olathe North did on Friday afternoon in a 3-2, 11-inning victory over the second-seeded Firebirds in the Class 6A semifinals at Shawnee Mission District Softball Complex.

The thrilling, extra-inning loss put an end to the bid by Free State seniors Tatum Clopton, Georgia Rea and Sara Roszak to spend their entire high school careers as state champs.

And while that ending brought with it tears and heartache, all three were able to reflect fondly on everything they accomplished, both this week at state and throughout their careers.

“It took a few comments from people after that loss for me to see it that way, but I’m really proud of this senior class,” Roszak said. “This definitely hurts, but we did so much together and I’ll remember it forever.”

Still reeling from the end of their run, the Firebirds went on to lose the 3rd-place game to Gardner-Edgerton, 2-1. Even then, they fought to the end, pushing their lone run across the plate in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI double from Robin Todd.

Roszak, Kinsey Clopton, Kay Lee Richardson and Jasmine Brixius all recorded hits in the third-place game, which was played at the same time that Topeka High and Olathe North were playing on an adjacent field for the state title.

Topeka High won that one, 7-1, to cap off a 25-0 season.

Tatum Clopton started the finale and fanned 12 GEHS batters, giving her 25 strikeouts for the two games and well over 200 pitches.

Acting FSHS coach Charley Bowen considered sitting her in the last game of the season, but Clopton wasn’t having it.

“I had to ask Charley to start me,” a smiling Tatum Clopton said. “There was no way that Olathe North game was going to be my last one. I know this isn’t what we came here to do, but I still think today was a good day.”

The reason? Rea summed that up as well as anybody.

“I’m definitely a lot more proud than sad,” she said. “If any game can represent what this team is about and how we fight, that semifinal game was it.”

Free State senior Georgia Rea catches a foul ball against Olathe North. Free State fell after 11 innings 3-2 Thursday, May 28, 2021.

The Firebirds had plenty of chances and also showed huge doses of grit in the semifinal loss to the Eagles.

With Tatum Clopton and her counterpart, Jordan Reynolds, rolling, runs and base runners were hard to come by.

The game was scoreless through eight innings, but O-North took a 2-0 lead on a two-out, two-RBI double by Paige Martin.

Martin’s double set off a wild celebration in the Olathe North dugout, but the Firebirds refused to let things end there.

In the bottom of the inning, with the Firebirds down to their final two outs, Samantha Bradbury and Kinsey Clopton both recorded one-out singles, quickly reached second and third and were brought in by Robin Todd’s sacrifice fly and Rea’s single to right.

Just like that, the Firebirds had new life.

“I never had the feeling that we were going to lose,” Roszak said. “After we got those two runs, I was on top again, feeling good and ready to finish it.”

Tatum Clopton retired the Eagles in order in the top of the 10th, but the Firebirds went down in order in the bottom of the inning.

The tension grew from there, and it was starting to become clear that one mistake by either side might decide the game.

It finally came with two outs in the top of the 11th when Allie Stipsits homered to dead center off of Tatum Clopton to put O-North ahead 3-2.

After the games, Tatum Clopton and Rea both agreed that the pitch itself was not a mistake but conceded that the pitch selection might’ve been.

“You definitely can blame some of it on exhaustion at that point,” Tatum Clopton said.

Free State senior Tatum Clopton is jubilant after a strike out against Olathe North. Free State fell 3-2 Friday, May 28, 2021.

Free State (20-3) nearly won it in the bottom of the eighth, but McKenzie Marcum’s bid for the game-winning RBI was foiled when Olathe North right fielder Sophie Stout tracked down a deep fly ball to the warning track in right field and made the catch to end the inning as she was falling down.

That came after Rea ended the top of the eighth by gunning down an Eagles base runner trying to steal second.

Roszak, who was on base when Marcum made contact, actually touched home plate on the out.

“I thought that was it,” she said. “But sometimes the odds just aren’t in your favor.”

That was fine with Bowen, who said after the game that he would prefer for those seniors to speak for him because of what they had meant to the Free State softball program during the past four years.

“They played their hearts out today,” Bowen said.

As they hugged their families and left the field as teammates one last time, the emotions proved to be overwhelming at times. Tears gave way to smiles, though, and talk about the future kept all three Free State seniors in good spirits.

“This is tough because we’re closing a huge door in our lives,” Tatum Clopton said. “But we’re all about to walk through another one and that’s fun to think about.”

Clopton is headed to Oklahoma State. Roszak will play her college ball at KU. And Rea is headed to Western Illinois. No matter what they encounter at the next level, all three will forever hold their time as Firebirds near their hearts.

“It’s been a great run and a whole lot of fun,” Roszak said with tears in her eyes. “But the thing I’ll remember the most about this is just the girls and the things we did together and all the cool things we accomplished when we performed.”

State semifinals

Olathe North 000 000 002 01 — 3 5 0

Free State 000 000 002 00 — 2 8 3

3rd-place game

Gardner-Edgerton 101 000 0 — 2 6 0

Free State 000 000 1 — 1 8 0

Free State senior Sara Roszak celebrates a hit against Olathe North during the Class 6A State Tournament. Free State fell after 11 inning 3-2 Friday, May 28, 2021.