The first round of conference games is now in the books for the Washington Demon softball team (2-19 overall). The Demons welcomed the Mount Pleasant Panthers (12-10 overall) to Washington’s softball complex for a Southeast Conference doubleheader showdown. The Panthers jumped on the Demons early in both games, winning 13-4 in game one and 15-1 in game two in six innings.

A seven-run second inning fueled the Panthers to a game one victory. Washington eighth grader Haylee Wilson collected two hits and scored two runs in the first setback for the Demons.

A lead off error in game two led to an early 3-0 lead for the Panthers in game two. After adding a single run in the second inning, Mount Pleasant sent 10 batters to the plate in both the third and sixth innings. The third frame saw five runs scored for the Panthers, and six more were added in the sixth inning. A solo home run by freshman Morgan Brinning was the lone scoring for Washington as the Demons fell 15-1 in game two.

Brinning’s home run was the first home run recorded by the Demon softball team this season. On top of her offensive success, Washington softball coach Angie Schrader is loving the effort Brinning is putting out on the field, ” She is always diving and try to get after balls and a lot of our kids do a good job of it.” Schrader said, “It’s one thing I have seen a lot this year from our young kids is they aren’t afraid to get dirty and they aren’t afraid to dive. Yeah, they might not always make the play, but our infielders and outfielders everybody’s going for the ball and if they keep it up, it two or three years they won’t be afraid to move for anything.”

The pair of losses drops Washington’s overall record to 2-19, and 0-8 in Southeast Conference play. The Demons return to the field tonight in Kalona, squaring off against county rival the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks (17-7 overall) at Mid-Prairie’s Middle School Complex.