Lady Huskies return to state
Othello softball second at CWAC districts
SELAH — The Othello Lady Huskies defeated the East Valley Red Devils 4-1 to lock up their 12th straight state tournament berth, but lost to the Selah Vikings 7-6 in the CWAC district softball tournament championship game Saturday.
Against East Valley, Othello took a quick 1-0 lead after the first inning, only to have the Red Devils tie the game in the fourth.
With two out in the bottom of the fifth, Othello put together a big 3-run rally that would eventually win them the game.
Rachel Mohs got the Lady Huskies started with triple, and Daniela Villegas gave Othello the lead with a short single to left field.
Nina Gonzales then singled to move Villegas to third, and Michelle Wheeler's base hit to center field brought in both Villegas and Gonzales. Wheeler was thrown out at third trying for the extra base, ending the inning with Othello up 4-1.
East Valley came back to load the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth, putting the pressure on the Othello defense. The Lady Huskies answered the challenge by turning a double play, getting the first out on a lineout to second and then doubling up the runner off first base.
The defense that saved the Lady Huskies against East Valley would sink them against Selah, as four Othello errors contributed heavily to the loss.
Othello took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but Selah scored a pair of runs in the fourth to tie the contest at two.
The Lady Huskies then committed three straight errors to load the bases in the fourth, and Selah's Allyson Powell made Othello pay for their mistakes with a grand slam home run that put the Vikings up 6-2.
Othello and starting pitcher Michelle Wheeler, who no-hit the Vikings to clinch the league championship just one week ago, couldn't contain the Selah offense Saturday.
"The biggest thing was the errors," said Othello coach Rudy Ochoa. "They're a good team, and it's hard to stop a good team."
"They're just good coaches," Ochoa added. "They know how to come back and beat somebody they've lost to."
The Lady Huskies were down but definitely not out after the grand slam. In the bottom of the fifth, Wheeler hit a 3-run home run that cut the Selah lead to one.
The Vikings came back with a run in the top of the sixth to go up 7-5, but Othello responded again.
The Lady Huskies scored once in the seventh to get to within a run of Selah, but the Othello rally ended with runners on second and third.
"I was happy the girls never gave up and kept trying," said Ochoa of his team's reaction to the Selah grand slam. "We just couldn't get it done."
Othello moves on to the 2A state tournament at Walla Walla Point Park in Wenatchee this weekend. With the changes reclassification has brought to the 2A ranks, Ochoa doesn't know exactly what to expect next weekend.
"With a record like we've got, we should be somewhere close," said the Othello coach of his team, which enters state-tournament play at 21-2.
Othello opens state tournament play Friday morning against Anacortes. Game time has yet to be announced. The Lady Huskies then face either RA Long or North Mason in a consolation or quarterfinal contest later that day.