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

Free State second baseman Finn Moore looks to make a play at second during the Firebirds' state tournament game against Olathe Northwest on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park.

OVERLAND PARK — Tie game. Bases loaded. Full count. It’s every young baseball player’s dream.

Free State baseball (25-4) faced that situation at a decisive moment of Tuesday’s state quarterfinal in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Ben Graves managed to draw a walk, bringing Ferris Dinkel across as the winning run in the Firebirds’ improbable 9-8 victory over seventh-seeded Olathe Northwest.

“It was just get my pitch,” Graves said of his approach. “I knew that (Olathe Northwest pitcher Gannon Edds) walked the guy in front of me, so I knew I had to wait for my pitch.”

Graves never got a picturesque pitch to put into play, but he was patient enough to work a walk. A similar situation had presented itself in the bottom of the eighth, with Free State trailing 8-7. Finn Moore’s walk in that plate appearance was enough to drive in the game-tying run.

It wasn’t the cleanest of games by any stretch, as head coach Mike Hill said it was both the worst and best game the program has played in 16 state tournament appearances. The Firebirds committed six errors in the field and were held hitless until the sixth inning. By that point, the team was trailing 5-1 and needed to spark a late comeback.

And come back they did.

“There was no fear,” Graves said. “We all know that we can do it. And that was, you know, that was a crazy game. We played awful, but that’s the thing about our team: we’re not going to give up.”

The comeback began with two runs in the bottom of the sixth and two more runs in the seventh to send the game into extra innings after a two-out single by Moore.

“Ultimately what that became was a character game,” Hill said. “We weren’t going to win it with our hitting, we weren’t going to win it with our defense, for sure. I don’t think we pitched the way we needed to pitch today, so if you can’t win the game in those areas, you better find something else. I think we found grit and determination.”

The Firebirds used three pitchers, with Zane Shaw getting the win after four innings of work and 83 pitches. Nathan Young got the start and threw 2 1/3 innings on 45 pitches, making him available for Thursday, while Graves tossed 2 2/3 and 41 pitches in middle relief.

In the first inning, Olathe Northwest’s Cash Christiansen hit a double with one out and came across to score the game’s first run on a softly hit single by Tison Wren that bounced off of first base and trickled into the outfield.

The Firebirds were gifted a runner as Ryker Mahnke reached on an error and advanced all the way to third before tying the game on a groundout by Graves.

Mahnke reached base in all five plate appearances on Tuesday, adding two hits and two walks.

“As leadoff, I just try to do everything I can to get on first base,” he said. “Today, I executed that pretty well.”

After a scoreless second frame, Olathe Northwest put a runner on in the top of the third after an error, advancing to second with a stolen base. Graves entered in relief with Young reaching his pitch count, and an error on a fielder’s choice shortly after allowed the runner to score.

The Firebirds failed to score in the third despite a leadoff walk issued to Mahnke, while Graves faced just three batters in the fourth, recording two flyouts and a strikeout.

Braswell’s no-hit effort continued into the bottom of the fourth, as he retired the Free State lineup in order via two strikeouts and a flyout.

Graves eased through the first two batters in the fifth before an error led to a run-scoring double and then an RBI single to stretch the Ravens’ lead to 4-1.

Mahnke reached base for the third time in the fifth with two outs after being hit by a pitch, but a strikeout ended the frame.

Facing Shaw, the Ravens took advantage of another critical error in the top of the sixth as a fielder’s choice scored another run to make the lead four runs.

Graves started the sixth with a single for Free State’s first hit of the game, and Owen Lester was hit by a pitch, at which point Braswell’s day.

Facing reliever Owen Gray, Moore hit a single up the middle as Graves scored on a throwing error, moving Lester to third. He later scored on a fielder’s choice before back-to-back groundouts ended the threat with runners at second and third.

“It could have been really easy to just quit,” Graves said. “When you’re down four runs, and you don’t have a hit, most teams would just crumble. But that’s the good thing about us: We know we’re a good team, and we know we’re capable of coming back.”

Shaw worked a scoreless top of the seventh, giving the Firebirds a chance to stay alive, needing two runs in the bottom half. Back-to-back singles by Mahnke and pinch hitter Donnie Krehbiel began the inning before both advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Down to the last out, Moore’s single drove in both runs as Krehbiel beat the throw home just in time to extend the game.

“I was just trying to calm myself down,” Moore said. “The nerves get high there, for sure, but it’s really just trusting all the training and settling myself down.”

Added Graves: “That was awesome. You know, he struggled a lot this year, and seeing him come up big in a huge spot, I was so happy for him.”

The Ravens fought back as the game went into extras with a three-run inning, thanks to an RBI single and a two-RBI double.

The bottom of the eighth began with a groundout, before a single by Young, a fielder’s choice on which everyone reached safely and a single by Mahnke loaded the bases. Krehbiel was hit, as was Lester two batters later to drive in runs before Moore once again remained calm in the box and worked the game-tying walk.

Shaw struck out the first two hitters he faced in the top of the ninth before allowing a single, only to induce a groundout to keep the game tied.

Dinkel, again in the leadoff spot for a second straight inning, worked a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch. Mahnke was intentionally walked, and Krehbiel himself reached base on a full-count walk before Graves’ appearance ended the game in walk-off fashion.

“We just knew as a team that we could do it,” Mahnke said. “(The) amount of guys that we’ve got and the chemistry here, a bunch of boys that did it last year, we just know that we can get it done no matter what.”

Already having a state championship under their belts, winning a game where it came down to who wanted to win more was an important step for the Firebirds.

“We know we can beat anyone now,” Mahnke said. “No matter how we play, we just got to step up as a team, and you know, all just work with each other and try to get everything done.”

Free State will advance to the Class 6A semifinals, taking on the winner of No. 3-seeded Mill Valley and No. 6-seeded Shawnee Mission South on Thursday at 5:45. The game will be played at Wichita State University’s Eck Stadium.

“It’s going to take the kind of effort we made today and multiply that by two,” Hill said. “We’ve got to be clean defensively … We can’t make any mistakes, for sure, because whatever team we play, they’ll make you pay for it.”

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

Free State senior Owen Lester lines his barrel up with a pitch during the Firebirds’ state tournament game against Olathe Northwest on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park.

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

Free State sophomore Carter Laubach turns to avoid a pitch during the Firebirds’ state tournament game against Olathe Northwest on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park.

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

Free State catcher Carter Laubach watches in a pitch during the Firebirds’ state tournament game against Olathe Northwest on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park.

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

Free State senior Owen Lester takes a lead off second base during the Firebirds’ state tournament game against Olathe Northwest on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park.

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

Free State senior Ben Graves sprints out of the batter’s box during the Firebirds’ state tournament game against Olathe Northwest on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park.

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

Free State junior Ryker Mahnke takes a lead off third base during the Firebirds’ state tournament game against Olathe Northwest on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park.

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

Free State pitcher Nathan Young fields a chopper during the Firebirds’ state tournament game against Olathe Northwest on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park.

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

Free State pitcher Nathan Young releases a pitch during the Firebirds’ state tournament game against Olathe Northwest on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park.