Sure, one team won and the other lost, but Tuesday’s City Showdown baseball thriller was beneficial for both Free State and LHS

Free State junior Brady Kern smiles during the baseball game against Lawrence High at Hoglund Ballpark on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

The Lawrence High and Free State baseball teams treated a large crowd to a heck of a game on Tuesday night at KU’s Hoglund Ballpark.

But the spectators in the stands were far from the only ones who benefited from the 4-3 Firebirds victory that featured all of the things you’d hope to see in any city showdown on any stage.

Late drama. Top-notch talent. Clutch hitting and a rip-your-chest-open-and-leave-your-heart-on-the-turf type of fighting spirit all highlighted what was a terrific baseball game on a nearly perfect night.

But for the players in both dugouts — half of whom left the field with smiles on their faces and the other half who went home seething — the chance to play a game like that may wind up being the difference in whether either or both of these teams make it to the Class 6A state tournament later this month.

It’s not that the Lions and Firebirds had not seen talented opponents before. They both have plenty of times, both in the tough-as-nails Sunflower League and in their non-conference slates as well.

But those games — whether against Gardner-Edgerton, Shawnee Mission Northwest or some team from Missouri or Oklahoma — don’t bring the same kind of stakes that the city showdown does. Both coaches know it. And players on both sides feel it.

“That’s a championship style environment, no doubt,” LHS coach Brad Stoll said after his team’s loss. “You’ve got to beat somebody like (Free State pitcher Maddox) Burkitt in a regional championship or the first-round of state, so there’s no doubt that seeing that tonight helps. Now you just have to figure out a way to get ready to do it again in the next week.”

The timing of that was by design, according to FSHS coach Mike Hill.

Years ago, the Lions and Firebirds played each other twice per season. Often times they split who hosted the games, with each playing once at home and once away. But once playing at KU came into the equation, they began to rotate who hosted and mixed in a trip to the Big 12 facility, as well.

When the Sunflower League grew to its current size, the scheduling requirements dictated that LHS and Free State would have to drop down to just one game per season against each other.

If the state would allow baseball programs in Kansas to play more than 20 games per season, which should be a no-brainer but so far has not been, there’d be two games per season just like Tuesday’s. But missing out on a second chance to play a second city showdown is the farthest thing from the top reason why Kansas needs to get with it and allow the schedules to expand. That’s a topic for another day, though.

While operating in the current reality, the chance to play a game like the one they played on Tuesday night is so important for these teams. So much so that Hill believes that no matter who wins or loses the game in any given year it still winds up benefiting both clubs.

“Winning postseason baseball games is about winning one-run games late,” Hill said. “That’s how you win championships. They don’t see that crowd until they get into the state tournament or the state championship game. So that’s what this game does for us. It prepares us for what’s coming.”

Whether any of it really matters or not will soon be decided.

As Hill put it: “If we win next week, yes, if we lose, no.”

But there’s no doubt that coming through in that type of environment — or, in LHS’s case fighting to the very last breath on that stage — can help both teams’ confidence as they move into the do-or-die portion of their seasons.

photo by: Chance Parker/Journal-World

Free State junior Brady Kern rounds third base in a game against Lawrence High at Hoglund Ballpark on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

photo by: Chance Parker/Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Keyan Crawford pitches against Free State at Hoglund Ballpark on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

photo by: Chance Parker/Journal-World

Lawrence High junior second baseman Brady Edmonds throws the ball to first in a game against Free State at Hoglund Ballpark on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

photo by: Chance Parker/Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Truman Juelsgaard celebrates after hitting a home run against Free State at Hoglund Ballpark on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

photo by: Chance Parker/Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Truman Juelsgaard hits a home run against Free State at Hoglund Ballpark on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

photo by: Chance Parker/Journal-World

Free State senior Maddox Burkitt pitches against Lawrence High at Hoglund Ballpark on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

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