The Demon baseball team got a conference win last night over Fairfield, but split the double header.
In game one, the Demons got themselves in trouble early with two on and two outs, but Austin Witt got Kooper Dahlstrom to pop up and end the half inning, which let the Demons come up who were swinging away. Tanner Knupp got his first hit of the night leading off, and then Jacob Green was walked. Elijah Wood got a single which loaded the bases with just one out. Austin Witt came up after Kyle Roder stuck out and reached on an error getting Knupp and Green home and giving the Demons a 2-0 lead that would last awhile.
No team had any real good scoring chances after the first inning until Fairfield loaded the bases in the fourth with no outs. Head coach Nathan Miller made a trip out to the mound to talk to his defense and pitch and calm things down, which must of made something click, as Witt and the Demon defense got out of the inning with no runs across the plate.
Witt went another inning and a third before he was pulled. He went 5 1/3 innings had three hits against him, no runs, five walks, one strikeout and a batter hit. That brought in Tanner Knupp who struck out his first two batters.
In the bottom of the sixth the Demons got the bats going again with two outs Mason Quigley reached on a single, and Tanner Knupp drove him home off an error, and Green got the Demons only recorded RBI of the game when he drove Knupp home off a single giving the Demons a 4-0 lead going into the seventh, and Fairfield would make things interesting. Starting with the top of the line up, Joe Heitpas walked, Josh Dimit was hit by a pitch and Mason Ellis was walked, loading the bases with one out. Then Kooper Dahlstrom grounded out but still got an RBI, and a two RBI single from Tyler Cooksey made it 4-3 Demons, but Knupp buckled down, and after walking Austin Gridley got Jordan Whitney to pop out and end the game with a Demon.
Miller said after the game that he was happy with how his offense played.
“You know I couldn’t be more happy with our kids, great approach at the plate, eight hits, and we put them together, we put multiple hits together to score multiple runs in an inning, and it turns out they were needed there in the last inning to hold on for a 4-3 victory,” Miller said.
Knupp led the way offensively going 3-4 with two runs, and Elijah Wood was 3-3 with a walk. Witt got the win, while Knupp earned the save. Fairfield’s Ryan Gahmer took the loss going six innings, allowing eight hits, four runs with three earned, three walks and striking out five.
In game two, Fairfield got up quickly on the Demons and never let go of the lead, winning 10-4.
Washington plays next on Saturday at Busch Stadium in St. Louis against Williamsburg.