photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior pitcher Zane Shaw winds up against Sioux Falls-Roosevelt on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Lawrence.

Going into the top of the seventh inning, Free State pitcher Zane Shaw was aware he was staring history in the face. Up to that point, Shaw had faced 18 batters and had gotten all 18 out.

“It’s hard not to realize,” Shaw said. “I try not to think about it at all, obviously.”

Only three outs stood between the Nebraska commit and a perfect game. After a shaky start to the inning, Shaw was able to get the first two hitters out with a groundout and a flyout, leaving just one out remaining. In a 2-1 count, Carson Breidenbach’s soft hit drifted just past the diving reach of shortstop Ben Graves, ending Shaw’s bid for perfection.

Either way, Shaw’s 6 2/3 innings of work with 14 strikeouts were enough to help the Firebirds to a 3-0 home win over Sioux Falls-Roosevelt on Friday.

“He was electric,” head coach Mike Hill said. “I just felt so bad that he couldn’t get out of it with the perfect game. He’s so efficient, and you know, at this level, if you can get a kid with a dominant pitch, you’ve got a kid that’s got a chance to do something. He’s got four pitches and has no fear of throwing anything at any time.”

The original plan was for Shaw to only pitch five innings. However, as he continued to cruise through the Roosevelt lineup, while keeping his pitch count down — he threw only 87 pitches on the afternoon — Hill and his coaching staff decided to let Shaw go for as long as he could, chasing history.

“We’re more interested in a pitch count at this stage of the season,” Hill said. “Our goal going in was we’d hope we’d get five (innings) out of him, and if things fell right with the pitch count, maybe we’d get six. Now, he could have easily finished.”

Offensively, it was a lackluster afternoon for the Firebird bats, as they mustered just two hits but benefited from a few hit-by-pitches and defensive miscues to break the game open with three runs in the fifth inning.

“Credit to their pitcher, he did a nice job of mixing things,” Hill said. “We didn’t hit the ball with authority today… it was just some miscues on their part, which that’s high school baseball.”

To start the game, Shaw struck out the first two batters he faced and got a groundout to end the top of the first. The Firebirds briefly put one runner on base in the first after an error with two outs.

Both teams repeated their success in the field in the second, as Shaw struck out two more batters and provided the first hit of the game on the offensive side before Roosevelt was able to get out of the inning with a strikeout and a popup.

The pace continued into the third, with Shaw adding two more strikeouts while the Firebirds’ lineup went down in order.

“Going into that, no matter who the team was, it was probably going to be some kind of pitcher’s duel because of the wind,” Shaw said. “We play like that a lot. We practice for games like that, you know, one-run, low-score games, stuff like that.”

The fourth was no different, with Shaw recording two strikeouts and retiring the Roosevelt bats in order. Offensively for Free State, junior third baseman Owen Lester reached base on a single and stole second. After Lester moved to third on a groundout, the game remained scoreless as another groundout ended the frame.

After Shaw struck out the side in the top of the fifth, Free State got the offense going in the bottom half of the inning. A pitch hit senior pitcher/outfielder Nathan Young to begin the inning, and Young moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore catcher Carter Laubach.

Another pitch hit senior first baseman Ryan Vigna, and junior center fielder Ryker Mahnke loaded the bases on an error. After a mound visit, Young scored the first run on a four-pitch walk to Graves, and junior second baseman Finn Moore delivered a sacrifice fly to score Vigna. Mahnke provided the third run of the frame on a wild pitch.

The final two innings were once again dominated by the pitching, with Shaw striking out the side in the sixth and getting the first two outs in the seventh before Graves closed the game out with a strikeout.

“Coming in at the end of the ball game is not an issue (for Graves),” Hill said. “He wants that situation, and he’s not afraid. He’s going to attack, and that’s what you want in a closer.”

The Firebirds will be in action Saturday at 11:15 a.m. against Harrisburg High School of South Dakota. It is the final tune-up for the team before Sunflower League play begins on Tuesday.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Ryan Vigna, right, greets teammates during the game against Sioux Falls-Roosevelt on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State outfielder Ryker Mahnke high-fives teammates in the dugout during the game against Sioux Falls-Roosevelt on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Zane Shaw runs to first base against Sioux Falls-Roosevelt on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State sophomore catcher Carter Laubach swings at a pitch against Sioux Falls-Roosevelt on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State junior Finn Moore throws the ball in from the outfield against Sioux Falls-Roosevelt on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State and Sioux Falls-Roosevelt players shake hands on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State players shake hands after the game against Sioux Falls-Roosevelt on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Lawrence.