Tigers take bite out of Huskies in doubleheader action
Bob Kirkpatrick/The Sun Tribune - Coach Sonny Garza congratulates Valente Garza as he rounds third after blasting a 3-run shot over the left center fence in Game 1 of the doubleheader with Ephrata at home Saturday.
Othello was looking to move up in the league standing when Ephrata came calling for a twin bill Saturday. But the Tigers had another thing in mind and handed the home team dual losses on the diamond at Huskie Field.
Othello had it going on holding a 6-1 lead through three innings in the opener on the strength of a wind-aided 3-run shot over the left center fence by Valente Garza, backed up by a solo shot to left from Adriel Gutierrez. The Huskies tacked on two more runs in the home half of the fourth on dingers from Camron Valdez and AJ Pruneda to stretch their lead by seven and seemed to be in complete control of the contest.
But the Tigers came roaring back with 10 runs over the next three innings including a grand slam by Gunnar Falstad in the top of the sixth to steal Game 1 from Othello, 11-8. The Huskies displayed plenty of firepower in this one outhitting Ephrata 11 to 8, but it wasn’t good enough to earn the win. Both teams committed three errors in the ball game.
Ephrata 15
Othello 11
The Huskies pounded out 12 hits in the nightcap to the Tigers 10, but the result was the same as the opener with Othello dropping the game 15-11. Five Huskie errors didn’t help maters much either.
The Tigers jumped out to a 6-2 score after three innings were in the books. Othello closed the gap to 6-4 in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single from Nathan Garza and a fielder’s choice that scored Valente Garza from third base. Ephrata hung six runs on the board in the top of the fifth and added two in the sixth to make it 14-4 Tigers. The Huskies responded with five runs in the home half of the frame to get back in it, down 14-9 with an inning to go. Ephrata added one in the top of the seventh. Othello hung two on the board in the bottom of the inning, but that was all she wrote. AJ Pruneda got the start and lasted just two and a third innings and was tagged with the loss.
“We just couldn’t seem to find the strike zone and gave them too many free bases in both games,” coach Sonny Garza said. “It’s really tough pitching form a 2-0 or 3-0 count most of the game.”
The Tigers (11-6, 10-5) leaped over the Huskies (10-7, 9-6) and into the fourth spot in the CWAC standings with the sweep. Othello embarked on a three game road swing Tuesday to finish out the regular season. The team was at Prosser, but the result of the contest was not available by press time. The Huskies are at Selah (15-2, 13-2) for double header action Saturday.