Othello, Royal High School softball put in final touches at weekend jamboree
Othello High School's Maya Valdez throws a pitch from the mound at Moses Lake High School on Saturday afternoon at the softball jamboree.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald
Othello High School's Ori Vasquez makes a dash toward third base as the Royal High School defense looks to get the ball to the infield behind her at the softball jamboree on Saturday in Moses Lake.
Othello's Maya Valdez slides into third base, beating the throw, at the softball jamboree at Moses Lake High School on Saturday afternoon.
Royal High School's Madison Ortega-Sanchez pitches against Moses Lake High School at the softball jamboree on Saturday afternoon in Moses Lake.
Royal High School's Chenoa Louie comes across home plate to score in the scrimmage against Moses Lake High School at the softball jamboree in Moses Lake on Saturday afternoon.
MOSES LAKE — Othello High School and Royal High School got time for some final preseason tuneups on Saturday at Moses Lake High School for a three-team jamboree.
Othello faced off against Moses Lake in the opening three-inning set, outscoring the Chiefs 4-3 on seven hits as a team. The Huskies came out to a red-hot start, scoring all four runs in the top of the first inning.
Royal took on Moses Lake in the second matchup, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the 3-2 advantage. Royal and Othello squared off in the final scrimmage with the Huskies finishing out in front.
Othello head coach Rudy Ochoa said he was really happy with what he saw from his team on Saturday. He said the biggest issue was dealing with the high winds, giving up a few deep balls early to Moses Lake on some miscommunication in the outfield.
“Normally those don’t happen,” Ochoa said. “It’s good that it happened because now we have something to work on, communication we need to work on.”
“Even a jamboree is better than nothing,” Ochoa said. “You could see everyone here was happy just to be playing. I think that’s the biggest thing.”
Normally, he said, the goal in any season would be to compete for a shot at the state tournament. With no postseason this spring, he said, the team will just focus on making the most of the season and facing off against some new competition in the Greater Spokane League.
Shadle Park High School, North Central High School and Rogers High School all dropped down to 2A from 3A this year, so Ochoa said those are three teams he’s excited to see in action. He said West Valley High School (Spokane) and East Valley High School are always competitive.
Royal head coach Amanda Saenz said a lot of her players got the chance against Moses Lake to face off against friends they play summer ball with. Saenz said seeing her team compete with a 4A program was really awesome to see.
“I was really proud of the girls to see them hold their own,” Saenz said.
Madison Ortega-Sanchez pitched all but one inning of both scrimmages for the Knights while her older sister, Makayla Ortega-Sanchez, dealt with some minor injury issues. Makayla Ortega-Sanchez did get one inning of action on the mound.
Saenz said two pitchers she can turn to is something the program hasn’t had in recent years.
“If you don’t have strong pitching, your defense can only go so far,” Saenz said. “It’s nice to have girls that know what they’re doing and have been playing for a lot of years.”
If everyone can stay healthy, she said, she’s really excited about what her team can do this season on the field. She said last year was going to be “the year” before COVID-19 forced the season to be canceled.
Saenz said the Royal program has continued to build with experienced players coming in as freshman and sophomores.
She said her team isn’t afraid to hit the ground and get dirty, and added that’s something that’s tough to teach.
