The Washington Demons can call themselves a tournament champion after winning the Jesup Softball Invitational over the weekend 90 minutes to the north in Buchanan County.
Washington got things started Friday by defeating West Delaware 16-7. Trailing 4-0 in the second inning, the Demons busted out the bats to score six runs, and even after the Hawks tied the game in the top of the third, another five runs on the board in the bottom half put Washington ahead for good.
In their second-round game Friday against Edgewood-Colesburg, the Demons scored four runs right away in the first inning and never looked back, going to win 10-0 after five frames.
The semifinals on Saturday was a similarly strong effort against Wapsie Valley, as another 10-0 victory in five innings was jump-started by three runs in the second and finished off by five in the fifth. The tournament title would come down to Washington against the hosts from Jesup.
The Demons and J-Hawks were tied at one after an inning, and Washington’s 2-1 lead would be matched with a run in the fifth. But the Demons took the lead back for good in the next inning, and two runs in the seventh would prove to be essential insurance in a 5-3 victory.
Alyiva Anderson was arguable Washington’s MVP of the tournament, hitting her first career home run in the championship game on her way to eight total hits and 11 runs batted in.
Fellow junior Ella Greiner homered against Edgewood-Colesburg and also had two doubles and eight total hits, finishing the tournament with four RBI and a team-high eight runs scored.
Sophomore Leighton Salazar had three doubles as part of her eight hits and scored six times while driving in four. Junior Bella Salazar finished the weekend with six hits and six runs batted in.
Bella Salazar also pitched twice and earned two victories, throwing 10 scoreless innings and striking out nine, while junior Halle Cuddeback picked up two pitching victories by allowing only four runs in nine innings, including a complete-game win in the finals against Jesup.
Along with a tournament trophy, Washington is now 14-3 and has ripped off seven straight victories. The Demons, ranked eighth in the state in Class 3A, add to their resume by beating ranked teams in Class 2A Jesup and Class 1A Edgewood-Colesburg.
In addition to the overall excellent start, Washington is undefeated in conference play this season. The Demons have a chance to go to 8-0 in the Southeast Conference when they host Fairfield for a doubleheader tonight.
The Trojans dropped two of three games against Washington in 2023 and are currently 3-10 this season. You can catch a double dose of Demon softball this evening on 106.1 FM KCII and streaming on KCIIradio.com and the KCII1 app, starting with the Roder Epoxy Pregame Show at 5 o’clock.