Washington knocks out Central Lee

WASHINGTON — Before the Demons made their way to Assumption for Saturday’s Class 4A Region 8 semifinals, Washington had to beat Central Lee in Thursday’s quarterfinal round. They did just that, knocking out the Hawks 10-1.

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“That's what good teams do, and we know we're a good team,” said Washington head coach Ben Obermann. “We just got some big hits.”

The Demons scored all 10 runs in the first three innings. Washington plated one run in the first. After Central Lee tied it in the second, the Demons came back with seven in the second and two in the third.

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“We know they're a good hitting team,” said Leighton Salazar, who had three hits on the day. “I think it's best that we scored first, and then we just kept piling on.”

Helping that pile on was lone senior Haley Mitchell, who went off in her last high school home game. Mitchell finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs to lead the Demon offense.

“I just went up to bat and I said, 'I'm not going to swing until I get a strike,'” Mitchell said. “I was lucky enough to find some gaps, even on some of my not-as-hard hits.”

Colbie Greiner and Lauren Hinrichsen each knocked in a run in the win. Ella Greiner had a pair of hits.

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Bell Salazar gave up just two hits over seven innings of work. She walked four Hawks and struck out four.

The win was Washington’s first postseason victory in three years. It was also the Demons’ 24th win of the season, which is the most since 2013.

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