Baseball Game Preview: Lawrence Free State Firebirds vs. St. James Academy Thunder

The Lawrence Free State Firebirds will square off against the St. James Academy Thunder on Thursday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Lawrence Free State is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Kansas' top teams: Olathe East, who was ranked 11th at the time (Lawrence Free State was ranked third). The Firebirds lost 11-1 to the Hawks on Monday. Having soared to a lofty 19 runs in the game before, the Firebirds couldn't push the score so high this time.

Meanwhile, St. James Academy was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They came up short against Bishop Miege, falling 19-5. Thunder fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Stags since on Monday.

St. James Academy's loss dropped their record down to 5-8. As for Lawrence Free State, the defeat snapped their winning streak at three games and leaves them with a 8-2 record.

Lawrence Free State came out on top in a nail-biter against St. James Academy in their previous meeting back in April of 2016, sneaking past 7-6. Will the Firebirds repeat their success, or do the Thunder have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.