The Demon softball team split with Fairfield last night, keeping both teams in a dead heat in the conference race.

In game one, Washington got on the board first, with the top of the lineup doing it again. Sammy Ellingson reached on an error, and her and Kaitlin Buchholz executed the hit and run perfectly, with Buchholz sending a ball to the right-center field fence and Ellingson coming around to score on the RBI double. Rausch stepped up next and added another to her RBI totals with an RBI single to put the Demons ahead 2-0, a lead that would stand until the sixth.

Ashley Rausch was on the mound for Washington and threw five strikeouts in the first three innings, and didn’t have her first hit against her until the fourth inning, when Fairfield threatened with two on and no outs, but couldn’t score.

In the fifth Fairfield threatened after a walk, Sydney Burnett hit a blooper over the head of Kolbi Breard at first that was played by Bohr. Fairfield sent Kelsey Roberts home and she was thrown out ending the inning still with a Demons 2-0 lead.

In the sixth Washington put a couple more on the board, and a couple that they needed to win, after two outs, Stephanie Fishback hit a single, and then it was Joni Erwin who was 0-2 on the day who put one to the fence on an RBI double that score Fishback, and Grace Redlinger who put a ball into the deep outfield to score Erwin and make the score 4-0. Fairfield made their late game push though. Kenady Waugh came up and singled and took a base off a passed ball to put her on second, and then an RBI single was hit by Marissa Repp that reached the fence. MacKenzine McClure was walked putting two on with one out. Karley Williams drove in Repp to make the score 4-2 Demons. After a trip to the mound, Rausch settled down and got Madison Roberts to pop up and struck out Makenzie Flattery.

Into the seventh, Chase Jaspering stepped into the box to face Alli Deao for the third time. Deao made the pitch, but Jaspering drove one right back at her that caught her in the knee that bounced to third and still got Jaspering out. Deao who had pitched the whole game to that point did not return, which meant Haley Grunwald had to come in for the 2/3 of an inning. Grunwald walked Bohr, but allowed no hits or runs.

Then things got tight for Washington, as the first batter went down, Burnett hit a single, a single by Katie Anderson and then a walk to Kenady Waugh brought up Repp with one out and the bases loaded, but Rausch went to work, striking out Repp for two outs. Finally McClure stepped up to the plate, and connected with a ball that sent a line drive into shallow right center field, but the quick reaction by Ellingson made the grab and the out, and the Demons won 4-2.

Rausch for Washington got the win going the distance, giving up eight hits, two runs, both earned, three walks and eight strike outs, and was good offensively as well, going 1-3 with a run and an RBI. Deao for Fairfield went 6 1/3 before getting hurt, she gave up six hits, four runs, three earned, one walk and two strike outs, and was charged the loss.

In the second game Washington led 3-2 going into the seventh, before Fairfield scored two and ended it 4-3.

These two teams are yet again in the top of the conference, and will have to wait and see how the rest of the conference plays against them to see if there is a sole conference champion, or if there will be a share of the title.