Vikings slide past Huskies

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies lost a close 6-0 battle with the visiting Selah Vikings Monday afternoon in Central Washington Athletic Conference (CWAC) baseball competition.

The Huskies and Vikings met Monday to continue the second game of a doubleheader rescheduled due to inclement weather on Saturday.

Both Othello and Selah got off to slow starts during the rescheduled contest, taking a 0-0 tie into the top of the fourth inning.

After playing through a trio of scoreless innings to start the contest, the Vikings managed to sneak a run across the plate when Othello pitcher Mike Garza walked in a Selah run with the bases loaded to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead midway through the contest.

Although Garza walked in the first run of the afternoon, Othello managed to keep the Vikings from doing any more damage in the fourth.

Othello head coach Larry Gonzalez said Garza performed well on the mound.

“Michael pitched great,” he said. “Our offense just didn’t help him out at all.”

Othello was unable to pull even in the bottom of the fourth and Selah took their 1-0 lead into the top of the fifth.

With one out and a runner on third, Selah managed to add another run to their lead following bloop single.

After falling behind 2-0 late in the contest, Othello pulled together and the Huskies got out of the inning with a 2-0 deficit.

Despite giving up runs in back-to-back innings, Garza settled down to keep the Vikings off of the scoreboard in the top of the sixth.

With Othello facing a 2-0 hole in the bottom the sixth inning, the Huskies put together their best scoring opportunity of the afternoon. After Othello third baseman Lee Gomez reached base after being hit by a Selah pitch, Othello senior shortstop Marc Garza singled into center field.

Gomez advanced to third on the hit and Marc Garza stole second to give the Huskies runners on second and third with two outs. However, Selah managed to get out of the inning unscathed.

Gonzalez said his team needs to execute at the plate with runners on base.

“We got runners in scoring position,” he said. “We didn’t get hits with runners on.”

With the game’s result still in doubt, Selah rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh to take a commanding 6-0 lead. The Huskies couldn’t respond in their final at bat and the Vikings took the victory 6-1.

Although Othello is still looking for their first CWAC victory, Gonzalez is encouraged by his team’s reaction in the dug out.

“They are not getting down on each other,” he said. “They are trying to pick each other up.”

With a positive attitude early in the season, Gonzalez said his team has the ability to persevere this season.

“They are sticking with each other and they are staying positive,” he said. “Something good will happen.”