photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

The Free State baseball team celebrates its win over Raymore-Peculiar on Friday, April 24, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

Following a win over Blue Springs on day one of the River City Baseball Festival, Free State baseball notched its second win in as many days, defeating Raymore-Peculiar 11-0 on Friday at Free State.

After a slow start offensively, the Firebirds scored three runs in the third inning and eight more in the fourth as the game was called in the fifth inning via run rule.

“We’ve had some challenges with quality at-bats, particularly with guys in scoring position, and I thought we were much better at that today,” head coach Mike Hill said. “It’s still a place where we need to grow, but today shows what we’re capable of, and now it’s just doing that on a more consistent basis.”

Hill said that patience at the plate helped the team’s approach and that he would like to see more consistency in that aspect moving forward.

“We have been scuttled a little bit offensively, and I think sometimes a team will just indiscriminately swing to get out of that, and then you’ve got another problem,” Hill said. “We didn’t do that. We were patient.”

Free State was led at the plate by juniors Ryker Mahnke and Ferris Dinkel. Mahnke went 3-for-3 with a run scored and recorded three RBIs, all on a double in the fourth inning, while Dinkel finished 2-for-2 with a walk and drove in four runs while scoring one of his own.

On the mound, Nebraska commit Zane Shaw pitched all five innings to deliver another shutout performance, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out eight batters.

“He’s just an exceptionally good player, exceptionally good pitcher,” Hill said. “It’s fun to work with him because there are so many different ways that he can attack a hitter… That’s an unusual attribute for a high school pitcher to have, but that’s because he’s honed his craft and is comfortable with four high-quality pitches.”

Shaw retired the side in the top of the first, inducing a lineout and two groundouts. Mahnke opened the bottom of the first with a leadoff single, and senior Ben Graves reached base after being hit by a pitch. However, a strikeout and a double play allowed Raymore-Peculiar starter Will Evert to escape the threat scoreless.

Two Panthers reached base with two outs in the second via an error and a single before Shaw recorded his third strikeout of the frame. The Firebirds couldn’t scratch a run across either, as Dinkel worked a one-out walk before back-to-back groundouts ended the inning.

Two more runners reached base for Raymore-Peculiar in the third after a dropped third strike and a walk. The go-ahead run failed to score as first baseman Ryan Vigna threw to catcher Carter Laubach to tag the runner out, and Shaw concluded the inning once again with a strikeout.

The Firebirds scored the first three runs of the game in the bottom of the third. With two outs and the bases full, Shaw worked a walk before Dinkel hit a single to drive in juniors Finn Moore and Owen Lester.

The Panthers hit a one-out single in the top of the fourth, but Shaw continued to deal, getting another strikeout and a groundout to Graves at shortstop to end the frame.

“Ferris really helped us out there with that big bases-loaded knock,” Mahnke said. “(It) really just got everyone else fired up to get the bats rolling.”

Added Dinkel: “I was just thinking ‘Hit the ball hard.’ I’ve come up with the bases loaded a lot recently, so I’ve really helped my approach.”

Three of the first four Free State batters reached base in the fourth, as Mahnke was hit by a pitch, Graves singled, and Moore walked. Lester drove in two runs with a double to make the score 5-0. After an error allowed Shaw to reach base, Dinkel plated his third and fourth runs of the game with a double.

A balk scored sophomore Charlie Griffith for the fifth run of the inning before three more runs scored on a bases-clearing double by Mahnke in his second plate appearance of the inning.

“Coach Hill came out to me before (the at-bat) and said, ‘End this game,'” Mahnke said. “I just tried to put it in the gap somewhere and get as many guys in as possible.”

Shaw made quick work of the Panthers in the fifth, inducing a groundout and two flyouts as the Firebirds improved to 13-3 with the win.

Free State will finish the River City tournament on Saturday, taking on Arkansas City at Hoglund Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

“I think coaches will have a good scout for tomorrow, so we’ll be listening to them and whatever plan they have, we’ll try to execute it as best as we can,” Mahnke said.