WASHINGTON — The Washington 8U All-Star team’s 2014 campaign concluded on Wednesday with a heartbreaking 11-5 loss in the first round of the losers’ bracket.

Fans packed the stands as dark clouds ominously moved in from the east. A few flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder eventually forced the umpires to delay the start time by 30 minutes.

While Washington avoided the rain, it couldn’t hold back the Perquimans bats. After the opposing defense quickly retired Washington in the first, Josh Richardson, Collin Roberts and Jacob Askew ignited the offense in the bottom half of the frame with three-straight hits. Askew, who picked up two RBI on his triple, came around to score on a Connor Ward double to right-center. Perquimans combined for five runs and six hits in the first inning.

With assistant coach Harry Main on the mound, Washington answered in the second inning. Walker Heath, Harrison Main, Gus Vansant and Matthew Grady all singled, but the big hit came from Davis Jones, who picked up two RBI with a triple.

Following the second, Washington found runs hard to come by. Logan Vick’s RBI single in the third inning would be the final run for coach Jones’ team.

Perquimans tacked on two runs on the third off hits by Askew, Stetson Proctor and Ward, one in the fourth and another two in the fifth on four-straight singles from Proctor, Ward, Collin Tibbs and Maddox Thader.

The 8U rules limit the maximum amount of runs in an inning to five. Once Perquimans led Washington by six with one inning to go, the umpire signaled the end of the game.

For Washington, Vick, Main and Vansant finished with two hits, while Ward ended the day 3-for-3 for Perqiumans.