Othello's Gonzalez, Wheeler combine for perfect game

OTHELLO — Even in postseason situations, there can be an awfully big disparity between one team and the next.

The Othello Lady Huskies proved that Thursday night in their first-round Central Washington Athletic Conference playoff game.

Othello, 20-1 overall and seeded No. 1 in the CWAC playoffs, dominated in every way imaginable against the Quincy Lady Jacks, winning 25-0 in five innings. The Lady Huskies racked up 18 hits, though they were also the beneficiaries of eight Quincy errors.

While Othello has lost just once this season, head coach Rudy Ochoa didn't want any complacency coming in. He didn't get any.

"It's like I tell my girls, 'Every team is the best team in the world until you play them,'" Ochoa said.

Othello got outstanding pitching performances from its two workhorse juniors, Nina Gonzalez and Michelle Wheeler. The two first team CWAC selections combined for a perfect game, with Gonzalez going the first three innings and striking out seven. Wheeler pitched the last two frames, striking out three.

Othello removed the suspense from the game with a 10-run first inning, sending 14 batters to the plate against Lady Jack hurler Daniela Marga. Two Quincy errors and a walk loaded the bases for Michelle Wheeler, who delivered a two-run single.

Erica Wheeler scored Othello's third run with a base knock to right field and another Jack error made it 4-0. The Huskies pulled off a double steal for their fifth run and got RBI singles from Alex Montemayor and Rachel Mohs for a 7-0 advantage.

As if that wasn't impressive enough, Gonzalez decided to add an exclamation point on her second at-bat of the inning, smoking a shot over the left-field fence for a three-run home run. On the mound, Gonzalez struck out the first six hitters she faced.

In the second inning, two singles and a walk loaded the bases again before a fielding error scored a run. Mohs followed with an RBI single and Daniela Villegas with an RBI groundout. The fourth run of the frame came in on a wild pitch.

Othello added four more in the third. Bebe Villegas drilled a triple down the left-field line, plating Michelle Wheeler. Erica Wheeler scored Villegas with a sacrifice fly. An infield hit from Villegas scored the third run, with the last coming in when Gonzalez was hit by a pitch with the bases full.

Quincy's bleeding didn't stop in Othello's last at-bat, with the Huskies tagging Marga for seven more runs. Two fielding errors led directly to the first two runs. An Erica Wheeler groundout and singles from Michelle Wheeler and Gabby Garza accounted for the rest.

Othello advances to Saturday's semifinals at Selah. The Huskies will play the winner of Thursday's Prosser-East Valley game at noon. Eighth-seeded Quincy faces the loser of that game. Barring an upset, Ochoa figured his girls would be seeing the Red Devils again.

"We've just got to come out with our heads in the game and ready to play," Ochoa said, noting that the last few battles with EV have been hard-fought. "We know they're going to be prepared. The girls are on a roll — I hope they keep it up."