Othello's bid for repeat concludes

Once Othello got the engine rolling, it was a little too late.

After trailing most of the first round 2A regional playoff game to Port Townsend, the Huskies pressed for a seventh inning rally and came up short on a season ending play by Isaac Rubio at second base, preserving the Redskins' 6-5 win.

Othello's season came to a halt with the tying run on third, when pinch-hitter Sammy Garza blooped a shot to shallow right field and Rubio made a head-over heels grab on the ball to end the inning and securing the win for Port Townsend.

"That is the way it goes sometimes," Othello head coach Abe Ramirez said.

Othello came into the final at bat trailing 6-3 with the top of the order due up. Mike Cantu led off with a bunt single down the first base line and reached second on a single by Sonny Garza.

Cantu scored on Randy Presnell's hard grounder to Rubio at second base, who bobbled the ball, allowing Presnell to reach safely. Garza scored on an infield single by Leo Garza and left runners at the corners with one out.

"They battled and they are capable of battling, they don't ever give up," Ramirez said.

With the tying run 90 feet away, Ramirez brought up Sammy Garza to pinch hit with two outs. Garza put the ball into shallow right field where Rubio redeemed his error earlier in the inning to save the win for Port Townsend.

"Sammy hits the ball hard and that is all we needed," Ramirez said. "I have confidence in any guy I ask to do something for me. If he gets a base hit, it would have been a great move and he almost did."

From the mound, pitchers Sonny Garza and Chad Holbrook tried to slow the momentum established by each bench.

The beginning of the game favored Holbrook who kept the Huskies hitless through 2 2/3 innings. Garza got tacked with a run early in the first inning, but held his ground through the next three, allowing Othello to tie the game at 1-1 in the fourth off a Presnell double to center field.

The Redskins bounced back in the top of the fifth inning with three runs on four hits.

Othello retaliated with a run in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, but Port Townsend pushed the lead to 6-3 with two runs in the top of the seventh inning.

"They got themselves in a hole this time and at this level, it is hard to come back," Ramirez said.

Presnell said the long weekend put strain on the Othello baseball team. After Saturday's game was canceled due to rain, he added that the atmosphere for the game was also different.

"Everyone was anxious and wanting to get up here and play ball," Presnell said. "Playing on a Monday is different than a Saturday and it kind of took us out of our game."