Free State senior pitcher Nathan Young tossed his fourth complete game of the season as the Firebirds (15-3) defeated Shawnee Mission Northwest 7-0 in Sunflower League play on Tuesday in Lawrence.

“I thought Nathan was terrific,” head coach Mike Hill said. “I sound like a broken record, but it continues to be true. Every time he throws, he just pitches. And, you know, he gets contact.”

Young needed just 65 pitches to record 21 outs, allowing three hits without a walk and striking out seven batters.

“(The) curveball was really good,” Young said. “The fastball, (I) was able to locate really well. I was able to work quick and really just have confidence in my defense and let them play behind me.”

Young started the game with two strikeouts and a flyout to retire the side in order in the first. At the plate, junior Ryker Mahnke began the game with a double and scored on an RBI single by junior Owen Lester. One more came across in the bottom of the first as junior Finn Moore was driven in by junior Ferris Dinkel.

“It’s super important,” senior Ben Graves said of scoring quickly. “Just getting ahead early and then letting our pitcher relax and settle in; it’s really important.”

The Cougars hit a one-out single in the second before Young executed a pickoff move to get the second out and recorded a strikeout to end the inning.

Free State began the bottom of the second with four consecutive singles as Graves drove in sophomore Carter Laubach on the fourth hit of the inning. After a strikeout, senior Ryan Vigna came home on a groundout by Lester to make the score 4-0 after two innings.

Young allowed a leadoff double in the third before inducing a groundout back to the mound and striking out two batters in a row to end the inning. Offensively, the Firebirds went scoreless for the first time, going down in order with two groundouts and a flyout.

A groundout began the top of the fourth before Jack Wineinger hit a single for Shawnee Mission Northwest. Young continued to excel with runners on base, inducing back-to-back flyouts to work his way out of the frame.

“I just got to be me and trust my stuff,” Young said. “I can even control the running game well — picked a guy off, so I was able to just settle where I know I can. And even if there’s a guy on first, I know I can get a ground ball (and) get two outs in one play.”

Free State’s Graves hit a single with two outs, and Moore was hit by a pitch before a strikeout ended the bottom of the fourth.

When the offense has struggled at times throughout the season, Hill says a lot of it derives from the team’s approach at the plate and what pitches hitters are looking for, but he still remains confident that the team will find its consistency by the end of the regular season.

Young once again made quick work of the Cougars’ lineup to start the fifth, retiring the side in order with a strikeout to close the frame.

The Firebirds got a free base to begin the bottom of the fifth as Shaw worked a leadoff walk before moving to third on a one-out single by Young. Laubach extended the lead with his second RBI single of the game to score Shaw.

Laubach, who Hill says is “overshadowed” by other members of the team, finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBIs and has had numerous moments of production throughout the season.

“I can’t tell you how pleased I am with the way he plays, particularly behind the plate,” Hill said. “To be a young guy and have the responsibility we put on our catchers is a tall task, and he’s been outstanding.”

Sophomore Charlie Griffith (running for Laubach) and Vigna later came home on another single by Graves to make the lead 7-0.

“I think it’s just kind of relaxing, not putting too much stress on myself and staying up the middle,” Graves said on his approach at the plate. “I’ve just been staying through the middle of the field and seeing the ball for longer, and then just trying to hit a line drive over the shortstop’s head, so it worked out tonight.”

For much of the season, Graves, an Oral Roberts commit, has been ailed by “an assortment of issues,” according to Hill, and has been giving “a heroic effort” for the team.

After another three-up, three-down inning by Young in the sixth, two Firebirds reached base after a walk by Shaw and a single by Young before a foul out stranded the runners at second and third.

Graves put away the first two outs in the seventh on popouts to shortstop before fielding a ground ball and firing to first for the final out of the game.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Graves said. “(Young’s) going to throw strikes, and guys are going to put the ball in place, and he works fast, too. It’s always good knowing that you’ve got a guy who’s up there and can throw strikes, and we’re going to have quick innings.”

Free State will gear up for a tough test on Thursday, visiting Olathe West (13-4) in a game with Sunflower League implications.

“It’s just going to take that same mentality into that game that we have in the other games, Mill Valley (and) Olathe East,” Graves said. “We played all the top-level teams on the road, so we’re just going to continue to carry that mindset into this game and see if we can score some early runs for Zane (Shaw). It’s going to be a big game, because if we want to win the Sunflower League, we’re going to have to win this game.”