Othello sweeps Quincy to start seven-game CWAC road trip
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin HeraldOthello second baseman Camron Valdez (6) tags out Quincy base runner Kade Schutzmann (3) trying to steal second in the late game of Saturday's CWAC doubleheader in Quincy.
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald Othello third baseman Joshua Garza (9) tags out Quincy runner Conner Donovan (20) after Donovan over-ran the bag trying to move into scoring position on Saturday during CWAC baseball action at Quincy.
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin HeraldJonathan Garza II (2) is all smiles after hitting a home run in the late game of Saturday's CWAC doubleheader in Quincy.
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin HeraldQuincy centerfielder Nathan Delgado (35) hits a double in the second inning of the late game during Saturday's CWAC doubleheader against Othello.
QUINCY — The Othello Huskies extended their winning streak to four games with a sweep on the road at Quincy Saturday as they head into an important stretch of the Central Washington Athletic Conference schedule.
The Huskies, which open the CWAC schedule with seven straight road games, scored seven runs in the top of the third to win the opener 14-4 in seven innings. They closed hard with four in the fourth to win the second by the 10-run rule, 13-1.
“We feel pretty confident about our entire lineup. We moved some people around so we’re stronger at eight and nine, but we feel good that anybody that comes to the plate can get the job done,” Huskies coach Sonny Garza said. “We have a good mix of experience returning from last year and some kids up from the JV.
“We have pretty good pitching. I thought we threw more strikes in the second game today, but we have guys that can throw strikes and we’ll play defense behind them.”
The Jacks are going up against the learning curve with just two seniors in shortstop Kade Schutzmann and pitcher Victor Tafoya. They have some catching up to do, but Andy Harris said they played well in spots on Saturday.
“We have to grow up and right now we’re not growing very fast. We’re struggling with some stuff and not competing for the entire game,” he said. “I thought Othello is a team we can compete with and we did in spots. We have to get back to the basics, throw strikes and play hard on defense.”
Othello 13, Quincy 1
Where the Huskies exploded for one big inning in the opener, in the second game they came with a steady stream of runs, scoring two in the first, two more in the second, then three in the third which was catapulted by Jonathan Garza II's home run. “I feel pretty good with the bat right now. He kept it up and I was able to get the barrel on the home run swing,” he said. “I definitely feel like a leader on this team. I need to show guys how to win games and how to carry yourself and play Othello baseball.”
Othello 14, Quincy 4
The Huskies took control early with a seven-run third inning highlighted by Josh Calzadillas double. Jay Rodriguez was 2-4 with a double.
The Jacks scored three runs in the third inning, taking advantage of three walks. Schutzmann and Noah Tarango had back-to-back singles in the fifth.