Washington softball completes sweep of Mt. Pleasant

MT. PLEASANT — Conference foes Mt. Pleasant and Washington softball squared off in Mt. Pleasant on Monday night in a Southeast Conference doubleheader.

The night saw the Demons win a pair of games, downing the Panthers 13-0 and 18-1 in the conference clash.

In game one on Monday, the Panthers struggled from the circle leading to a plethora of runs for the Demons.

Washington held just a 3-0 lead heading into the second inning, but the Demons would put 10 on board in their half of the second.

Walks became the Panthers worst enemy.

Panther pitching allotted eight walks — nine over the course of the game as a whole — in the second frame leading to the 10 run inning.

Bella Salazar didn’t make it easy for Mt. Pleasant from the circle either, as she threw a one hitter along with five strikeouts in the three innings.

“Our defense has gotten a lot better,” Salazar said. “We’ve worked a lot more on defense in practice. Our hitting as come along, but still not the best it could be, but we’re still hitting pretty good.”

The Demons finished with just five hits in the victory. Salazar, Leighton Salazar, Emmy Wenger, Alyvia Anderson and Lauren Hinrichsen all had a hit in the win. All had two RBIs, but Anderson and Ella Greiner had one.

For the Panthers, Savana Walls ended with the lone hit in the loss.

Jordan Crooks, Malia Anderson and Alexa Fuller all threw for Mt. Pleasant. Crooks gave up no hits, four runs and four walks. Anderson allowed three hits, five runs and two walks. Fuller allowed just two hits, four runs and three walks.

In the nightcap, Washington had the bats up and running, while Mt. Pleasant struggled to answer at the plate.

Walks were not an issue for the Panthers in the second fixture, but the Demons scattered the ball all around the diamond. Washington dispersed 16 hits in game two, leading to a total of 18 runs.

“Our offensive approaches were great,” Washington head coach Ben Obermann said. “When you can score early and first it all starts there. When you get a team down it helps your pitching and defense.”

Halle Cuddeback and Claire Robinson combined for a total of nine outs, two hits and one run.

Ava Turner led the Demons at the plate, going 3-3 with three RBIs. RyLee Fishback and Izabella Salazar each had three hits with an RBI as well.

Saige Burchett led Mt. Pleasant with one hit and an RBI. Emma Starr and Crooks each had one hit as well.

Ella McNamee, Myah Starr, Alexa Fuller and Malia Anderson all pitched for the Panthers.

“We’re a young team,” Mt. Pleasant head coach Michael Beason said. “We just need to feed off each other and keep working.”

Washington has been one of the hottest teams in the conference in the last week. Out of their last seven games, the Demons have won six.

Washington is now back to .500 in the conference at 7-7 and 10-15 overall.

For the Panthers, its been a rough patch. Up until their win over Holy Trinity Catholic last Friday, the Panthers had dropped 14 in a row.

The Panthers drop to 2-18 on the season and 0-14 in the league.