Hawks topple Demons

Aaron Viner

Sports editor

When it comes to rivalries, there always has to be two sides.

With Washington and Mid-Prairie baseball, the Demons have had the Hawks? number in recent memory, including a no-hitter in last year?s contest between the pair.

This season, Mid-Prairie (6-6) avenged the loss, and did so in big fashion, capitalizing on multiple Demon mistakes to take the victory 10-3.

?It?s only a rivalry if we can do our part and we did a little bit of that tonight,? Mid-Prairie baseball head coach Andy Greiner said. ?We expect Washington to be good every year, and I think they?ll have a good season, once they work out their kinks.?

The Demons (3-8) struggled defensively in the contest, giving up seven unearned runs over the first five innings of the game, allowing the Hawks to jump out to a 7-2 lead.

?After we chewed a little butt and refocused, we were more competitive,? Washington baseball head coach Nathan Miller said. ?When you spot a team seven unearned runs, you are not going to win the game, plain and simple. It comes down to want. Regardless of the outcome, they have to want to be competitive and have pride in your playing.?

The Hawks were led on the mound by junior pitcher Adam Schrock, who tossed all seven innings, giving up six hits, and striking out eight batters in the victory.

?My arm was feeling great and I attacked the zone pretty well,? Schrock said. ?I had a lot of first-pitch strikes, and a couple of walks, but the defense was great. I had a lot of help from them. Until two strikes, I?m trying to get them to put it in play.?

The Demons started the contest off strong, as a leadoff double from senior Blake Weidman would eventually come around to score on a Dakota Kron sacrifice fly.

The Hawks responded in the second inning, capitalizing on multiple errors, and scoring two runs on one hit.

In the third inning, the Hawks continued to push runs across the plate, as two hit batsmen, two errors and one hit led to a four-run inning, putting Mid-Prairie up 6-1.

?We?ve been confident for quite a few weeks now on the offensive side,? Greiner said. ?We think we?ve established ourselves at the plate, and we are just looking to put it all together now.?

The Demons got a run back in the fourth, as Michael Gier walked and came around to score on a Ryan Loy double.

Defensively, the Demons were able to stave off the Hawks in the fourth inning, as Kron came in as a relief pitcher to pick up the only 1-2-3 inning that Washington forced.

?He had a real nice outing and kept us in it,? Miller said. ?We were able to chip away a little bit, and we had some opportunities, but when you go down 7-2 because of errors, that?s what?s going to happen.?

Mid-Prairie then added four unanswered runs, plating one in the fifth on a Karson Gingerich sacrifice fly, before two walks and two singles led to a three-run sixth inning.

Washington added a run in the top of the seventh, but it wasn?t enough, as the Demons dropped their sixth-straight game.

?It?s an attitude thing,? Miller said. ?Two weeks ago we played the No. 9 ranked team (Fairfield) and one of the top arms in the entire state and had a 3-0 lead. Now, we?ve taken a step backward. We need guys that are invested and want to come to the yard every day with the right attitude.?

For the Hawks, it had been a week since their last contest, with rain washing out their last four games. After that stretch off, Greiner was happy to see his players hadn?t picked up much rust.

?We were ready, but a little concerned, because a week off is a little unfamiliar territory for us,? Greiner said. ?We were excited that we played well tonight and we want to connect it for Thursday.?

The Hawks will travel to face North Cedar for their next game, while Washington will host Fort Madison in a conference doubleheader. Both sets of games are scheduled for Thursday night.