Huskies split, rise to 5-1 in baseball
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald - Quincy runner Doug Tobin (25) steals second as Othello second baseman Josh Garza (18) tries to field the ball and Husky shortstop Camron Valdez (6) backs the play up during the first game of Saturday's CWAC doubleheader at Othello.
Rodney Harwood/Sun Tribune Othello - third baseman T.J. Martinez (17) drives a ball foul during his at-bat in the bottom of the fifth inning in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader.
OTHELLO — When you split a conference doubleheader on the road, you walk away with a little bit of satisfaction. Same holds true if you come back to win the late game to salvage a conference split at home. It beats the alternative.
For the Quincy Jacks (1-4, 1-3 CWAC), their 6-3 victory over Othello in the early game of Saturday’s CWAC doubleheader was their first win of the year. They got off the snide with a big pitching performance by senior Doug Tobin, who struck out seven and allowed just two hits.
The Othello Huskies (5-1, 3-1 CWAC) rebounded from their first loss of the year to win the late game 8-7 on a game-winning RBI single by Arcenio Martinez.
East Valley, Ephrata, Othello and Ellensburg went into the weekend unbeaten in the CWAC, so despite getting beat at home, Huskies first-year coach Sonny Garza knows how important that split was.
“You feel a little better about finishing on a high note. But at the same time, you have to try and get two wins when you’re at home,” Garza said. “We knew Quincy was going to battle. They’ve always been that way. They’e a bunch of blue-collar guys that aren’t afraid to get dirty and do whatever it takes. We put the ball in play more that second game and mixed it up a little and got some guys on the bases.”
Arcenio Martinez, who had an RBI double in the opener, stepped into the box with the winning run standing on second base in the second game. Quincy starter Cody Kehl pitched well into the seventh inning, but plunked Othello leadoff hitter Sakiel Garza to open the door.
Camron Valdez bunted him put Garza in position. Martinez turned on a big breaking pitch by Jacks reliever Kade Schutzmann and drove into the left-center power alley for the winning RBI.
“I was just looking to drive one deep enough to score the run,” Martinez said. “He threw a slow curve and I got it. It’s amazing when you’re rounding first and you see the runner going into home. To get the split means a lot, and I was happy to do my part.”
The Huskies took a 7-3 lead in the fifth inning, scoring four runs on two hits. But the Jacks came right back with four in the top of the sixth to tie it, including a 2-RBI triple by Kehl and an RBI double by Andrew Escalante.
Doug Tobin gave the Jacks a quality start, stymieing the Huskies with a nice breaking ball and just enough fastball to control the game. Tobin ran up against the new league pitch count and had to step aside one batter short of the complete game, allowing two hits in 6 innings.