The Washington Demon baseball team came up just short in a 5-4 loss to West Branch Friday night at Dick Sojtka Memorial Field. Washington fell behind 2-0 in the top of the first inning but got a run back in the bottom half after freshman Blayze Richardson singled and later scored on a wild pitch.

West Branch stretched the lead with three runs in the third, but the Demons would respond with three runs of their own in the fourth, two of which scored on a base hit by Richardson.

Washington got the tying run on base in each of the final three innings, but they could never push across the equalizer, including stranding the tying run at first in the seventh and final frame when junior Mason Morgan was robbed of a two-out base hit on a diving catch.

After the game, their fourth loss this season by one run, Demons head coach T.J. Rausch told KCII Sports that close games continue to be a challenge that his team just can’t quite solve.

“It takes just one of us to make the play, to step up in the box,” Rausch said. “It feels like a big barrier right now is in front of us and that we just quite can’t get over the hump. Once we break that barrier, [the] flood’s coming with those wins if we can just break through.”

In addition to Richardson’s two hits, senior Luke Beenblossom came up with a game-high three knocks for Washington. Freshman pitcher Brady Krantz delivered a brilliant relief effort for the Demons, throwing the final four innings and allowing no runs on two hits while also picking up three strikeouts.

Nonetheless, Washington suffers a defeat that drops their record to 1-9. The Demons will look to bounce back when they return to conference play Monday night with a doubleheader against Fairfield.