Mt. Pleasant softball swept by No. 10 Washington

WASHINGTON ? Class 4A?s No. 10 Washington wrapped up Southeast Conference play with a sweep of rival Mt. Pleasant on Thursday night, leaving itself in contention for the league title.

?It was big,? Washington head coach Angie Shrader said of Thursday?s sweep. ?It was a must-win situation for us. I told the girls before the game started that we could still put ourselves in a situation to be conference champions or we could drop all the way to third place. And they came out and played hard.?

The Demons, who swept the Panthers by scores of 3-1 and 16-8, finished with a 12-4 mark in league play. Now they?ll need some help from Mt. Pleasant, which hosts league-leading Fairfield (11-3 in the conference) on Monday.

Washington?s wins over Mt. Pleasant on Thursday night didn?t come easy. The Demons scored in the second inning of the opening game on sophomore Stephanie Fishback?s RBI single, but the Panthers tied the game with a run in the third. The Demons took the lead for good in the fourth inning when junior Joni Erwin doubled and pinch runner Amber Salow scored on sophomore Ashley Rausch?s single. Junior Kaitlin Buchholz added an RBI single in the fifth inning to put the Demons up 3-1.

That was enough for Rausch, who allowed just one run on four hits in the game. She struck out four batters and walked three.

Senior Lindsay Dorn, junior Sammi Goble, sophomore Kelsey Smith and freshman Hattie Leichty each had a hit in the game for the Panthers.

?They left eight runners on base,? Shrader said. ?We got out of a lot of situations where they had runners on second and third.?

The Demons (26-6, 12-4 SEC) led the second game 5-1 when Mt. Pleasant (13-22, 3-11 SEC) began to rally. Goble hit a two-run home run in the fifth, chasing Washington starting pitcher Maddie Bohr from the game. The Panthers weren?t done yet, though, as Smith and eighth-grader Morgan Frasie added RBI singles to tie the game.

But Washington answered with eight runs in the bottom of the fifth to regain control. Erwin hit an RBI single, and Fishback and sophomore Chayse Jaspering had back-to-back two-RBI hits. Senior Mackenzie Adrian hit an RBI single, and Rausch had a two-RBI double. Buchholz?s sacrifice fly gave the Demons a 13-5 lead.

Both teams scored three runs in the sixth inning, and Washington held on for the 16-8 win.

Rausch went 2-for-2 with two doubles and three RBIs in the nightcap, and Erwin had a pair of hits, including a two-run home run in the third inning that bounced off the top of the fence in centerfield. Jaspering and Adrian had three hits apiece, and Fishback had a double and a single. Buchholz, senior Lauren Vittetoe and junior Sammy Ellingson each chipped in a single for the Demons, who had 15 hits in the contest.

Goble hit a home run and a double and had three RBIs for the Panthers. Smith had a pair of singles and drove in a run, and senior Natalie Booten hit an RBI single. Dorn, Frasie and sophomore Leslie Taylor each added a hit.

Bohr was the winning pitcher, allowing three runs on two hits in 4 1/3 innings. She struck out five batters and walked two. Rausch threw the final 2 2/3 innings, giving up five runs on six hits. She struck out one and walked one.

Now the Demons will sit back and hope the Panthers can sweep, or at least gain a split with Fairfield on Monday.

?There?s still a chance for us,? Shrader said.