Washington loses to rain, lightning, West Branch

WASHINGTON — It’s the first official game of the 2021 season for Washington. It’s the first home game as well, and Cara Linnenkamp is in the batter’s box in the bottom of the seventh inning, score tied 1-1, two on base and a 2-0 count.

Any Demon fan has to reason there’s a good chance to come out with a win in this nonconference softball game. Then lightning strikes, and Mother Nature is now winning the contest between West Branch and Washington.

Both teams sit and wait out the weather delay that last for an hour but the Bears get three outs without a Demon score. The game goes into an extra inning, and West Branch wins 4-3.

“It was tough to be too disappointed for our first night,” Washington coach Ben Obermann said. “We're definitely disappointed in the result as it was a tough loss, but the process was great.”

The visiting Bears picked up a run in the top of the first inning, and Washington tied it in the bottom of the third.

While the weather delay didn’t help the Demons in the seventh inning, it seemed to help both teams’ bats when play resumed. The Bears plated three runs in the eighth inning and Washington two.

The three West Branch runs came from a 3-run home run for a 4-1 lead.

Linnekamp is in the batter’s box in the bottom of the eighth inning, down 4-3, two out and the bases are loaded. Linnenkamp flew out to deep right to end the game.

Kellie Dallmeyer made the second out of the eighth when she “hit a rocket to third that a girl made a good play on,” Obermann said. “Give West Branch credit, as they made every play behind them, which they had to do as we only struck out one time. We had opportunities, hit the ball hard right at people in key situations, but that's softball.”

Although Linnenkamp gave up the homer, she allowed just three other hits and struck out eight. She walked four and hit a batter.

The Demons were gifted 10 bases on balls.

“We had 65 percent quality at-bats for the night, and Cara Linnenkamp had a quality start in the circle in every facet of the game,” Obermann said.

Linnenkamp had one of six Demon hits. Cameron Malichky, Ava Turner and Emmy Wenger each had a hit as well, but the leading hitter in the Demon’s first game of the 2021 season is playing in her first high school game without yet attending class. Eighth-grader Ella Greiner went 2-for-4.

“We ended up leaving 12 base runners on base, and the timely hit eluded us, which ultimately led to us being on the wrong side of the scoreboard,” Obermann said.

The first-inning run by West Branch was unearned. The Demons committed two errors in the game.

“We played superb defense for the most part, and I was proud of how we played for the first night out,” Obermann said. “Early in the season, we keep preaching process, process, process. If we continue building on the process that we showed against West Branch, the sky's the limit for us, as we will get that timely hit next time out. It was good to be put in those pressure situations early on.”

There is a belief that says one learns more from adversity than success. A close, extra-inning game like Tuesday, even though the result wasn't what the Demons wanted, “does more for us and teaches us more than a 10-0 blowout win does,” Obermann said. “I'm excited to see us build off of the performance.”

The Demons play Thursday at Oskaloosa.