Huskies claim third in districts with home win

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies (20-4) overcame East Valley Tuesday afternoon to earn a 4-1 victory and claim third in the 2A District 5. The Huskies continue their postseason bid with one more game before state. 

“I felt like it went well,” said Huskies senior RJay Garza. “We had a couple of tough moments there during the game, but we stayed in it, stayed together and we fought through it all and came out on top.” 

The game started off with a quick first inning where neither team scored. East Valley was first to score as they put up a single run in the top of the second inning and held the Huskies scoreless in the bottom of the inning. 

After holding East Valley scoreless in the top of the third, Othello got on the board after an error by the opposition which allowed Huskies senior Quade Gonzalez to score.  

The fourth inning is when the Huskies took off as they strategically put up three runs through a single from Xavier Guzman that scored a run, followed by a single from Xzyyvn Martinez that scored two runs.  

Both teams put up a strong defense in the final innings of the game and with no runs scored, the Huskies earned the 4-1 victory along with a third-place title in districts. 

RJay said the key to Othello’s success came from their comradery on the field. 

“Just staying together as a team, helping our pitcher. He threw a great game and then putting the ball (in play) and executing on (East Valley’s) errors,” he said.  

Xzyyvn Martinez pitched all seven innings for the Huskies where he gave up two hits, one run and two walks while striking out eight batters. 

“We’re always feeling good when you get a win, especially against a team like East Valley, that team’s always been good, year in and year out,” said Huskies Head Coach Sonny Garza. “That’s a really good squad, really well coached, so it’s good to get that win against a league opponent also.” 

Coming into Tuesday’s game, Coach Garza said the Huskies were prepared for a back and forth matchup. The team expected the game to come down to getting one better inning where Othello could stack up runs with the help of solid batting to keep momentum on their side. 

“That’s kind of what we did in that (fourth) inning, we were able to score a couple,” said the coach. “When you play good teams like that, that’s kind of what you’re waiting for is just the one inning where you get a couple runs and you’re hoping that’s going to be enough with the guy that you have on the mound.” 

He said this win gave the Huskies a good confidence boost as they prepare to play in the district crossover game this weekend. With the excitement of the victory to take third in districts, he expects the team to be riding a high as they get ready to face their District 1 opponent. 

The tough pitching from East Valley’s Brandon Stone provided a good challenge for the Huskies as they prepare to face similarly skilled pitchers down the stretch, said Coach Garza. The fact Othello kept pressure on Stone each inning is something he said will be beneficial to build up his players for the incoming challenges ahead. 

“We’ll probably face another good pitcher and we’ve done this before. We’ve been in this situation before,” he said. “Just stay calm, take deep breaths and keep the ball or put the ball in play.” 

As the Huskies tighten their focus for Saturday’s game, RJay said the team is planning on sticking together as they play their game and work toward making a deep run in state. 

“We feel amazing, but the job’s not finished,” said RJay. 

The Huskies will head on the road to play the winner of the Archbishop Murphy/Anacortes game in the District 1/5 crossover Saturday. Exact time for the game is still to be determined. 

BOX SCORE 

EVLY: 0-1-0-0-0-0-0: 1 

OTHL: 0-0-1-3-0-0-x: 4 

    Xzyyvn Martinez from the Huskies gets ready to hurl the ball at the opposing East Valley batter Tuesday afternoon.
  

    Quade Gonzalez from Othello sprints home to score the first Huskies point of the game Tuesday afternoon against East Valley.
  

    Othello’s Noah Ozuna stands guard near third base against East Valley in the final game of district play.
  

    Trey Tovar from the Huskies steps up to the plate ready to bat in Tuesday’s game against East Valley.
  

    The Huskies dugout erupts in cheers after a strong hit from one of their teammates in Tuesday’s game against East Valley.