Demons clipped by CCA at home

Washington got its bats rolling on Monday night, but it came just a little too late.

The Demons plated eight runs in the final three innings against Clear Creek Amana, but the Clippers plated 11 over that span, taking a 13-9 victory, completing a season sweep of Washington.

?Our last four games, offensively, have been what we are striving for. Especially the last three,? Washington head coach Nathan Miller said. ?We had 31 hits (in a doubleheader) against Centerville (on Thursday), and 12 again tonight. It?s not one-dimensional. We are spreading the ball around the field and it?s hard line drives. We are putting good swings on the ball.?

The Demons fell to 6-18 on the season, with one regular season game remaining before playoffs begin on Friday night.

Sophomore Collin Zear pitched a strong four innings for the Demons to start the game, giving up two runs and four hits, but after Zear came out of the game, Clear Creek took advantage and started getting its bats going.

The Clippers gave themselves five runs in the top of the fifth inning, before Washington got its bats going.

A leadoff single by Zear, who went 2-for-3 on the night, came around to score on a Tanner Renoux single, followed by RBIs from Dakota Kron and Gabe Greiner to make it 7-4 after five.

The Clippers responded with five more runs in the top of the sixth, but Washington didn?t go quietly in their half, as they loaded the bases with two outs.

Renoux came up big again for the Demons, notching his seventh hit in the last three games with a bases-clearing double to make it 12-7.

?(Tanner has been) stroking it really well,? Miller said. ?He had three doubles against Centerville, and has been rock-solid pretty much the whole year. He?s been a silent assassin pretty much the whole year in the six or seven hole, but we bumped him up to the four and he?s taken off. He?s been a big bright spot in our season this year.?

Another run came in for the Clippers in the top of the seventh, and in the bottom of the inning, Washington smelled a rally.

A leadoff single from Kron eventully came around to score on a Bryce Craff hit. Craff scored with two outs in the game, but it wasn?t enough to extend the game, as the Demons fell.

?It feels like we played well enough to win offensively, but situationally defensively, that?s our Achilles? heel right now,? Miller said. ?We have to be thinking all the time about what we are doing and what?s going on. That?s part of having a young team, but at some point we have to get over that and keep doing it.?

The Demons have gone through the season with a young squad this year, but with postseason play just around the corner, they aren?t afraid for what?s in store.

?I really have felt like we have stuck with it,? Miller said. ?The kids know that if we shore up a few things on the defensive side, we can do pretty well. Once we have that experience factor, it?ll click. The kids know we aren?t looking toward the next few years, we are in this season, but they are young, so the work they do now will benefit them when they are a senior.?

The Demons will wrap up the regular season with a single-game contest at home against Solon. Varsity action is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.