Demons stun No. 3 Solon

FORT DODGE -- This was an upset. But it was no fluke.Joni Erwin ignited Washington (Iowa) with a three-run triple, and Ashley Rausch quieted the prolific Solon bats as the Demons pulled off a 6-1 shocker in a Class 4A quarterfinal at the state softball tournament Tuesday at the Rogers Sports Complex."The only people that thought we could do this were us and our fans," Erwin said. "A lot of people figured there wasn't any reason to watch our game, but as the game (progressed), there were more and more fans watching."What they saw was an extremely surprising outcome. But not a fluke. The Demons (30-11) didn't luck their way into the semifinals -- they'll face No. 3 Carlisle (33-7) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.They simply outplayed a team that most folks figured was out of their league."We had nothing to lose, and we knew we needed to be aggressive," Erwin said. "And Ashley ... she was a superstar."Solon (40-3) entered the game averaging 9.3 runs per contest and hit a state-best .436 as a team, but Rausch limited the Spartans to a single tally on five hits."I just tried to hit the corners, and (our) defense was a huge part of it," Rausch said. "They backed me up and got all the outs."Washington played from ahead immediately. Sammy Ellingson, Kaitlin Buchholz and Stephanie Fishback pecked away with singles in the bottom of the first inning, setting the stage for Erwin."(Solon pitcher Emily Ira) kept pitching me outside, and that's where I like it," said Erwin, who lifted a triple to the fence that put the Demons in front, 3-0."That was great," Rausch said. "We were all jumping up and down in the dugout. It was a boost of confidence, being able to get on top like that."Solon got a run back in the top of the second -- Ira's sacrifice fly plated Ali Herdliska -- but Ellingson's single chased home a run in the bottom of the inning, then Buchholz and Rausch had RBI hits in the fourth that stretched the margin to 6-1.Washington finished with 12 hits."We've been down, and we've been down late, but we had always battled back. We were used to jumping right back in it," said Solon Coach Jim White. "By the fifth inning, we were really kind of panicking at the plate."Solon's Emma Rickels said, "I think we came out too cocky. We've talked about playing big on the field, showing a presence. Today, we just kind of fell flat."The Spartans play Waverly-Shell Rock in a consolation semifinal at noon Wednesday, then conclude their state stay at 4 p.m.Washington is in the semifinals for the second straight year; the Demons were fourth a year ago."We're here to stay all week," Erwin said. 

Emily Ira, Holly Hinkel (4) and Ali Herdliska. Ashley Rausch and Kaitlin Buchholz. W -- Rausch (17-9). L -- Ira (19-2).

4A State Quarterfinal

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