photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State's Ryker Mahnke celebrates a run that put the Firebirds in the lead against Shawnee Mission South on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Lenexa, Kansas.

LENEXA – Free State baseball saw its lead shrink twice Saturday, and both times, the Firebirds just shook it off as if nothing happened.

A wild pitch scored a run in the top of the sixth, and after the game was tied once again in the bottom of the seventh, Free State broke through with two runs to take down Shawnee Mission South 9-7 in a nine-inning thriller.

“We knew that we had to come to play today,” senior Ben Graves said. “It’s not easy on a Saturday morning, but we came out here and got a nice win.”

In a game where hits were at a premium for the Firebirds, recording just five hits while taking advantage of five more walks, four hit by pitches and three errors, the team never wavered or got down. They just kept competing until the hits fell into place.

“We’ve gotten to a point where we’ve taken some losses, and we’ve grown from those losses, and we know that we’re capable of beating anyone,” Graves said. “There was no doubt, and I think that’s important in our dugout; there’s no doubt that we’re going to get it done.”

The contest was also a reunion of sorts, as Shawnee Mission South is coached by Matt Hill, the son of Firebird head coach Mike Hill and a former player and assistant at Free State.

Matt Hill’s Raiders now stand at 13-7 on the season, and while Mike Hill didn’t want that to be the storyline of the game, he added: “I tried not to make it about him, but I’m proud of him.”

“Obviously, you want to win, and it’s kind of weird because he probably knows all our signs, and everything that we do,” Graves said. “But yeah, that one felt good.”

Senior Nathan Young made his second start of the week, tossing 3 â…” innings on 47 pitches, allowing two runs on three hits. Graves carried the load on the mound, tossing five innings in relief to earn the win.

“We thought we could give (Young) a couple of innings, and he wound up giving us three-plus and I thought that was awesome,” Mike Hill said. “And then, you hope to hold Ben to two or less, and he had to give us five. So, very proud of those two for the job they did today.”

Junior Ryker Mahnke began the game with a first-pitch single as the bases were loaded three batters in after a walk was issued to Graves and junior Finn Moore was hit by a pitch.

After tossing a complete-game shutout on Thursday in a 1-0 win at Olathe West, senior Zane Shaw provided a spark with his bat early, hitting a two-RBI single to drive in the first runs of the game. Young followed suit by hitting a single of his own to score Moore for the third run of the opening frame.

“(Shaw)’s done everything we hoped he would do offensively, and probably a little more,” Hill said. “And all that he’s got going on in terms of his future, to be willing to still get in there and help us, not only at the plate, but defensively, is very beneficial.”

The early runs allowed Young to work ahead from the start, as he faced only three batters in the first to retire the Raiders’ top of the lineup in order.

Graves worked another walk and stole second base before being left stranded. Defensively, Young faced only three batters again in the second. Third baseman Owen Lester provided a defensive gem, catching the final out against the fence in foul territory.

Shawnee Mission South starting pitcher Cale Fossett retired the side in order for the first time in the third, ending the inning with back-to-back strikeouts. Young returned the favor, facing the minimum of three batters for the third consecutive inning.

Fossett recorded two more strikeouts in the top of the fourth as he retired the Firebirds’ lineup in order for the second consecutive inning. The Raiders also found some momentum offensively, hitting two singles to put runners at the corners with one out.

Shawnee Mission South senior Otto Knust hit a double to right field to make the score 3-1, ending Young’s day on the mound. Senior Kyle Sikes took over in relief and gave up a single to the first batter he faced, allowing the Raiders to cut their deficit to one. The Firebirds’ left-hander escaped the jam, inducing a shallow flyout and a lineout caught by Graves at shortstop.

“(Sikes) got us out of a very difficult situation,” Hill said. “He hadn’t been on the mound in a while. He’s such a super kid, just to see him come in and spin it up there a couple times, and Ben made a nice play to get us out of the fourth.”

Mahnke reached base to begin the fifth after being hit by a pitch. Following a strikeout, Moore and Lester both walked, loading the bases. One batter later, everyone reached base safely as Mahnke scored on a fielder’s choice by Shaw.

Free State’s lead extended to 6-2 after a fielder’s choice brought in Moore, and Lester came across home on a throwing error.

Graves came in for relief to begin the bottom of the fifth as an error allowed a Raider to reach base, eventually leading to a single to score the runner, making the score 6-3. Shawnee Mission South continued to hit with success as Connor McCool tied the game with a three-run home run over the left field fence.

“He got the changeup; (Graves) probably left the changeup up a little bit, (and) he got it up in the air for the big three-run homer,” Hill said.

Sophomore Carter Laubach was hit by a pitch to lead off the top of the sixth. His courtesy runner, Donnie Krehbiel, advanced to second on a balk and third on a groundout before scoring on a wild pitch to reclaim a 7-6 advantage.

Needing one run in the bottom of the seventh, Shawnee Mission South hit a single and took advantage of a Free State error, ultimately scoring the tying run on a sacrifice fly. Graves induced a pop-up to second baseman Eli Berns to send the game into extra innings.

Following a scoreless eighth inning on both sides, the ninth began the same way as the top of the first: with a Mahnke leadoff single. Graves executed a sac bunt, and the Firebirds took advantage of two throwing errors as Mahnke scored all the way from first to take the lead.

“The game plan was just trying to get in scoring position; Ben executed that perfectly,” Mahnke said, “I saw the ball get away… that felt really good knowing we have a lead in the last inning.”

Added Graves: “I knew (at the plate) that I was going to try and give myself a chance to be safe, and so I put a really nice one down. And that was really huge, and I beat it out.”

Graves scored an extra insurance run on an RBI double by Lester before closing out the game in the bottom of the ninth with a strikeout of Fossett.

“The walkaway is that we had to fight,” Hill said. “We got hit in the mouth a couple (of) times, situations that the team could easily fold, and they refused to do that. And I like that fight.”

The Firebirds will be back at home on Tuesday, hosting Gardner-Edgerton in a game that is the first of three games in three days. Free State will visit Class 5A defending Saint Thomas Aquinas before returning home on Thursday to play Olathe Northwest.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Nathan Young and Owen Lester high-five during a game against Shawnee Mission South on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Lenexa, Kansas.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Ferris Dinkel attempts to catch a home run against Shawnee Mission South on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Lenexa, Kansas.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Ben Graves is called safe at second base against Shawnee Mission South on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Lenexa, Kansas.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Finn Moore catches the ball against Shawnee Mission South on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Lenexa, Kansas.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Ryker Mahnke gets to third base against Shawnee Mission South on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Lenexa, Kansas.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Nathan Young pitches against Shawnee Mission South on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Lenexa, Kansas.

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Ferris Dinkel gets a ball while at bat against Shawnee Mission South on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Lenexa, Kansas

photo by: Henry Wiley/Special to the Journal-World

Free State’s Ben Graves gets to second base against Shawnee Mission South on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Lenexa, Kansas.