Despite suffering a pair of defeats Friday, the Washington Demons pushed two state-ranked softball teams to the edge at the annual Iowa City West Classic on the campus of the University of Iowa.

Washington fell 11-8 to Bettendorf in Game One. Despite a 5-0 deficit after one inning of play, the Demons rallied and would send the game to extra innings tied at 7. Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep the 15th-ranked team in Class 5A in check forever and surrendered four runs in the seventh.

Sophomore Leighton Salazar came up with two hits and two runs batted in to lead Washington, while freshman Colbie Greiner scored two runs and junior Alyvia Anderson had just the one hit but also drove in two.

The Demons took the initial lead in Game Two against Davenport Assumption, scoring a run in the third inning. But Assumption would tie the game in the fourth and take the lead for good in the sixth, as the number-six team in Class 3A went on to win 2-1.

Against a team that finished second in the state and eliminated Washington from the postseason along the way last year, Greiner put together a stout pitching outing, allowing only six hits and one walk in six innings while striking out four.

Anderson paced the Demon lineup with a pair of knocks, while Salazar had a hit and an RBI. Despite falling to 7-3, the Demons lived up to their billing as the ninth-ranked team in Class 3A.

Washington has also started Southeast Conference play 3-0 and will look to keep that unbeaten start rolling as they begin their next conference series later tonight with a doubleheader against Fort Madison.

Against a Bloodhound team that had won four straight against them and was the conference champions in 2022, the Demons won two of the three games in the series last season. Fort Madison has ripped off four straight wins since starting this season 0-2, including winning all three of their conference games against Fairfield last week.

You can hear Washington Demon softball take on Fort Madison this evening on 106.1 FM KCII and streaming on the KCII app and KCIIradio.com. Coverage begins with the Roder Epoxy Pregame Show ahead of Game One at 5 o’clock.