Opening the week against a ranked opponent, the Washington Demon baseball team (3-5 overall; 2-2 Southeast) struggled to end innings defensively Tuesday evening. The Demons were in Pella for a single non-conference matchup against the No. 2 Little Dutch (10-0 overall). Nine of the 13 runs given up by Washington were unearned, allowing Pella to cruise to a 13-1 victory in four innings.

Washington began the game on a positive note, leading the game off with a double from sophomore Bryce Craff. Sophomore Ryan Loy drove in Craff with an RBI single in the first for the Demons’ lone run of the evening, a 1-0 advantage after half an inning.

The Little Dutch responded with 13 unanswered runs, seven unearned in the first, four earned in the second, and two additional unearned in the fourth.

The loss drops Washington’s overall record to 3-5. They return to the field on Thursday in a Southeast Conference double header clash against the Mount Pleasant Panthers (2-4 overall). Live play-by-play coverage from Dick Sojka Memorial Field begins with the Washington Hy-Vee Pregame Show at 5 p.m. on FM 106.1 and KCIIRadio.com.