Ranked Chiefs down Washington

The highlights came in spurts for the Washington softball team on Monday night.

Squaring off against top-10 ranked Keokuk in a conference doubleheader, the Demons led the Chiefs in each game, but were unable to finish the contests on top, being swept 14-4 and 13-6 in the pair of games.

The Demons opened up the doubleheader as well as possible, with a leadoff single from Mackenzie Knutson, followed up by a Kenzie Duwa bunt single.

Jessie Buchholz put down a bunt of her own, and when the throw went into right field, Knutson and Duwa came around to score.

Then Brooke Stout launched a moonshot over the left field fence to put the Demons up 4-1 after one inning.

?It?s textbook how we want it to happen,? Washington head coach Ben Obermann said. ?We have speed at the top of our order, and we get the first girl on with Knutson. Then Duwa puts down a perfect bunt, and Buchholz does the same thing and puts some pressure on the defense. Then they make a mistake. Then we get to the middle of the order. If we can do that consistently, we?ll be a lot of fun to watch.?

Defensive miscues then plagued the Demons in the second and third innings, as Keokuk jumped out to a 10-4 lead, and eventually enacted the 10-run rule in five innings.

?That?s been the case in our eight losses right now,? Obermann said. ?We are close. We are showing glimpses of playing very good softball, and we hit the ball well at times. We led a top 10 team in the state at multiple points tonight. We have to limit that big inning, and we can?t afford to give good teams extra outs.?

In Game 2, the Demons held Keokuk at bay, trailing 3-0 after the top of the fourth inning, and Washington took advantage.

The Demons loaded the bases with no outs, and four runs came across in the frame, with two errors, two singles and a walk helping the Demons? cause. A play at the plate ended the inning, but Washington held a 4-3 advantage after four innings.

Over the next two innings, Keokuk?s bats came alive again, as they poured on nine runs over the next two innings, taking a 13-4 lead.

The Demon defense settled down after that point, and attempted to string together a late rally, with Haylee Wilson using a double drive in a pair of runs in the seventh. However, the rally ended there, as the Demons were forced into a sweep.

?We are building for July,? Obermann said. ?We can continue to focus on the process of staying up, and staying ready to compete. It shows a little in our effort when we are battling back, and we put a six-spot up against these girls. We are close.?

The Demons? schedule won?t get any easier on Tuesday, when another top 10 ranked team comes to town, when Oskaloosa faces the Demons in a twinbill in Washington. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.