The Free State baseball team took advantage of seven walks and three hit batsmen en route to a 7-1 home win over Shawnee Mission East on Thursday.

“That’s a big part of our game; we like to be patient in the (batter’s) box,” senior Ben Graves said. “We knew that (Shawnee Mission East starter James Quance) had a lot of high walk numbers, and so we were going to be patient.”

The Firebirds recorded eight hits, but Graves and head coach Mike Hill both said that there is still room for improvement within the lineup.

“I think we have a lot to get better at the plate,” Graves said. “Today was a better day, but just getting more hits (and) hitting the ball hard, especially early in the lineup, where we’ve been kind of struggling lately.”

Hill added: “Certainly we’re not walking out of here displeased, but we’re trying to get to a certain level as a team, and we’ve got a ways to go before we can get there.”

On the mound, senior Zane Shaw threw 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run and six hits while striking out seven hitters. Shaw said that he could feel his velocity was lower than usual, but that he’s “never going to be afraid to throw strikes.”

“I’ve always had that mindset,” he said. “You have to make them hit; if they earn that day, then props to them, but keep throwing strikes and let your defense work. That’s my mindset (the) whole game.”

Shaw, a Nebraska baseball commit, also had a storied career as a wrestler, taking second place in the 190-pound weight class at the 6A State Championship in February. Hill said that in both sports, you can be on “an island,” but his drive has allowed him to be successful in both.

“That’s the benefit of being a dual-sport athlete; you learn how to compete,” Hill said. “There are so many things that he got from his wrestling experience that helped him be a better baseball player, and hopefully that worked the other way too.”

Shaw gave up three straight hits to start the game, starting with a single. A successful pickoff move caught the runner attempting to steal second for the first out before back-to-back doubles gave the Lancers a 1-0 lead. Shaw escaped the jam with a groundout and lineout to keep the deficit at one.

At the plate, junior Ryker Mahnke, Graves, and junior Owen Lester walked to load the bases with one out. After a forceout to get the second out at home plate, Shaw was the fourth batter to walk, scoring Graves before a flyout ended the inning.

“If you’re a team that’s going to give us those free bases, we’re going to take them,” Graves said. “We’re not selfish. We’re going to take the free bag and give our team the best chance to win.”

Shaw settled down in the second inning, striking out the first batter he faced and inducing consecutive groundouts to retire the side in order.

The bottom of the second inning started with sophomore Carter Laubach being hit by a pitch and senior Ryan Vigna drawing a walk. Graves brought both runners home on a one-out triple before scoring on a wild pitch. Junior Finn Moore laced a double that one-hopped the fence before the Lancers recorded two outs to escape the inning.

The Lancers went down in order in the third and tallied just one hit in the fourth, while the Firebirds got one runner in the third thanks to a single by Laubach.

Mahnke began the bottom of the fourth with a bunt single, then stole second on the first pitch of the next at-bat. The Firebirds continued to threaten after an infield single, but a double play ended the frame.

After a three-up, three-down inning for Shaw on the mound, junior Ferris Dinkel welcomed Shawnee Mission East relief pitcher Chase Kvapil to the game with a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth. Shaw followed suit with another single, and Young walked to load the bases.

Dinkel scored Free State’s fifth run on a groundout by Laubach, and the bases were once again loaded after Vigna was hit by a pitch. The second run of the inning scored as Mahnke brought courtesy runner Eli Berns home on a sacrifice fly, and a third run scored on a single by Graves, the Oral Roberts commit’s third RBI of the game.

“(Kvapil) was kind of funky, he was kind of throwing behind me,” Graves said. “I worked the count, and I ended up getting a knock on a hit-and-run.”

Both teams went scoreless in the sixth inning, with the lone runner being Young in the bottom half of the inning after a walk.

Shaw got the first two outs in the seventh with a flyout and a strikeout before allowing a single to end his outing. It took just two pitches for Graves to finish the game, inducing a groundout to Vigna at first base.

Free State has a quick turnaround, making a three-hour-and-44-minute trip to Rogers, Arkansas, on Friday to face Rogers High School, the defending champion in Arkansas Class 6A. The Firebirds will return to Sunflower League action on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., hosting Shawnee Mission North.

“We’ve got our hands full tomorrow,” Hill said. “We’re going to go play in one of the best environments high school baseball provides, and we’re excited about that. I told the kids after the game, ‘They’re not going to give you the game. They’re not going to make mistakes that allow us to win, so we’re going to have to go out and earn it.’ That’s a big challenge.”