The Washington Demon softball team brought their recent losing streak to an end with a 16-8 victory at Louisa-Muscatine last night in the second game of a doubleheader.

Having been shut out in the first six innings of Game One, Washington wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in Game Two, scoring four runs in the first inning.

Louisa-Muscatine would counter with three runs in the bottom of the first and four in the third to take a 7-5 lead. The Falcons were still in front 8-6 when the Demons exploded for nine runs in the sixth, using the late offensive outburst to go in front for good.

Junior Bella Salazar set the pace for a terrific 18-hit game by the Washington lineup with a team-high four knocks, including a double, as well as two runs scored and two runs batted in. Senior Emery Walton also stroked a double as part of a three-hit game and finished with three RBI while scoring three times.

Sophomore Leighton Salazar cranked a double on her way to two hits and two runs driven in. Junior Ella Greiner joined Salazar in scoring three runs and also had two hits and one RBI. Kendall Hinrichsen drove in a pair on two hits, while fellow junior Halle Cuddeback had one run batted in on two knocks.

Lauren Hinrichsen added just one hit for the Demons, but it was a big blow, as the junior hit her first career home run on her way to scoring twice. Senior Ryle Libe also crossed home plate twice.

Washington bounced back from not only a six-game losing skid, but also dropping the first game at Louisa-Muscatine 7-2. The Demons didn’t crack the scoreboard until the sixth inning and were already trailing 7-0 by that point.

Washington had just five total hits in the loss, with Anderson’s lone knock being her third homer of the season to score one of the two runs. Still, a split of the road trip against the 11th-ranked team in Class 1A means the Demons, ranked 13th in the state in 3A, are now 22-11.

Washington next plays tomorrow night against Clear Creek Amana, the 12th-ranked team in 4A. You can hear Demon softball on KCII tomorrow night starting with pregame coverage at 7 o’clock on 106.1 FM.