Rockets spoil home opener

The Demons were their own worst enemy on Tuesday night.

Multiple defensive errors in the season-opener led to Eddyville-Blakesburg picking up enough runs to hand the Washington baseball team a 7-6 home loss in the contest.

?We obviously are capable of playing better defensively,? Washington baseball head coach Nathan Miller said. ?That?s the nice thing about playing tomorrow too, we get to jump back on the horse. We knew that going into this game it?s part of the evaluation. When the lights go on, we need to see who?s going to compete.?

The lone senior, Blake Weidman, for the Demons got the start on the mound in the opener, and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings, while striking out three batters.

Both of the runs given up by Weidman came in the third inning, as a one-out walk and a single came around to score after a pair of wild pitches and an error.

The Demons got their offense going in the bottom of the third, as sophomore Collin Zear drew a leadoff walk. Courtesy runner Noah Enfield came around to score  on a Michael Geir single, while back-to-back Rocket errors helped the Demons take a 4-2 lead.

Washington added runs in the fourth and fifth, but Eddyville responded with a three-run sixth inning to take the lead, 7-6, and the Demons couldn?t bring home another run.

?You can?t replicate live pitching,? Miller said. ?You can don intrasquad scrimmages, but not all the time because they take up so much time and then you can?t get as much fundamental stuff in. We found ways to score tonight, but the difference in the game is we made more mistakes.?

Junior Michael Ellingson picked up two of the Demons? three hits in the contest, while Collin Zear and Dakota Kron combined for 4 1/3 innings of relief, while Zear led the way with four strikeouts.

Washington will face Clear Creek Amana on Wednesday evening.