Daily Newsletters
Account
Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
No. 9 Washington softball fires past Mt. Pleasant
Demons shutout Panthers, extend conference undefeated streak
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
WASHINGTON — Washington Demon softball continues its dominance in Southeast Conference play, improving to 3-0 in league action following a decisive 9-0 shutout of Mt. Pleasant on Thursday night.
Ranked No. 9 in the state, the Demons wasted no time asserting control, plating five runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Mt. Pleasant’s offense struggled to respond, managing only two hits against Washington’s three-pitcher rotation, which delivered a commanding performance from the circle.
Bella Salazar opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first. After Mt. Pleasant’s Jolynn Martin recorded a groundout, Demon freshmen Makenzie Messer and Natalie Hartman extended the lead with clutch hits. Messer driving in two with a single and Hartman clearing the bases with a two-run double, giving Washington a comfortable 5-0 advantage.
The offensive pressure continued in the second inning. With two outs, Alyvia Anderson launched a two-run home run over the left field fence, widening the margin to 7-0. In the fifth, Leighton Salazar added the final blow with a two-RBI single, effectively sealing the victory.
For Mt. Pleasant, Paityn Ensminger and Parker Coleman each tallied a hit, but the team falls to 2-9 overall and 0-3 in conference play. The Panthers well take on Keokuk Monday.
Washington, now 7-1 overall, shares the top spot in the SEC with Fairfield (also 3-0). The two are set for a highly anticipated matchup on Monday.
The Demons also participated in non-conference action over the weekend. On Friday at the Iowa City West Classic, they dropped a pair of games, 3-1 to No. 6 Cedar Rapids Prairie and 10-2 to Davenport West.
Saturday’s slate at the University of Iowa Softball Complex saw mixed results: a thrilling 5-4 victory over second-ranked Durant, followed by a 14-1 defeat at the hands of No. 3 Assumption.
Mt. Pleasant was also in action over the weekend in the Holy Trinity Catholic Classic. The Panthers defeated WACO in dominant fashion 19-1, but were defeated by HTC 8-2.
