Wahluke advances to district final, state with win over Toppenish

MATTAWA – It took a penalty shootout to determine the winner of Tuesday’s South Central Athletic Conference district tournament semifinal, where Wahluke outscored Toppenish 4-2 in penalty kicks to defeat the Wildcats 3-2. Wahluke surrendered two second-half goals that sent the match into overtime.

Mavs sweep West Valley, split Big 9 title with Eastmont

MOSES LAKE – Friday’s sweep of West Valley (Yakima) locked up a share of the Columbia Basin Big 9 title for Moses Lake, defeating the Rams 5-2 and 5-3 on the road.

Mavericks defeat Huskies 5-1 in non-league battle

OTHELLO – A three-run home run from sophomore Emmie Olsen gave Moses Lake the lead for good in Monday’s non-league matchup with the Othello Huskies, eventually taking down the Huskies 5-1 on the road. “We pitched phenomenally, we executed some small ball really well and played a full, complete team seven-inning win,” Hofheins said. “To put up five against (Othello senior Amarie Guzman) is outstanding because she’s as tough as they come.”

Jacks defeat Manson in postseason opening round

QUINCY – The Jacks opened the postseason with a 1-0 win over Manson in the 1A District 6 tournament, surviving a late Trojan comeback bid. Down 1-0 in second-half stoppage time, the Trojans had a run on the Quincy net, later leading to a penalty attempt. The shot missed, firing over the net.

Huskies win over East Valley

Othello baseball headed to CWAC title game after successful Saturday outing

OTHELLO – A three-run bottom of the second inning helped push Othello over East Valley (Yakima) in Saturday’s Central Washington Athletic Conference district semifinal, with the Huskies defeating the Red Devils 4-2. “We were excited and confident,” Othello junior Sonny Salazar said. “We worked all year for this – all summer, the winter – we were ready and prepared.”

Knights defeat Wapato in SCAC tournament

ROYAL CITY – The Knights opened the South Central Athletic Conference district tournament with a win over Wapato on Thursday, taking down the Wolves in a 2-0 victory to advance to the district semifinals. “The deliveries were better, the corners were better, the free kicks were better,” Royal Head Coach Jens Jensen said. “Some of the other guys we moved around did a good job, so I’m happy.”

Huskies take down Selah in OT, advance to CWAC final

OTHELLO – Othello reached the Central Washington Athletic Conference district final for the third consecutive season after mounting a comeback against Selah on Thursday, defeating the Vikings 3-2 in overtime. “We had a really slow start in the first 15 minutes,” Othello Head Coach Bernie Garza said. “There was no energy, but in the last 20 minutes, we were on fire. The guys were motivated, the guys were excited, firing on all cylinders. We were still down 2-1, but we found a way to get the second goal.”

BASIN SOCCER ROUNDUP: Six squads begin playoffs

COLUMBIA BASIN – Postseason competition on the soccer field began on Tuesday for Basin teams and continues over the next two weeks. Read along for a look at where teams stand heading into the playoffs.

DIAMOND RECAP: Welcome to the postseason

COLUMBIA BASIN – District playoffs in both baseball and softball have started across the Columbia Basin, with local squads looking to qualify for their respective state tournaments.

Mavericks open series with a win over West Valley

MOSES LAKE – A three-run bottom of the third inning was enough to send Moses Lake over West Valley (Yakima) in Tuesday’s Columbia Basin Big 9 matchup, with the Mavericks later winning the ballgame 4-1.

Tigers, Huskies split doubleheader

EPHRATA – Monday’s Central Washington Athletic Conference doubleheader matchup between Othello and Ephrata saw each team pick up a win, with the Huskies winning the first game 6-3 before the Tigers claimed a 6-3 win of their own.

Last Stand Rodeo back for 72nd year

COULEE CITY — The PRCA Last Stand Rodeo returns for its 72nd outing this May, hosted at the Coulee City Rodeo Grounds. The three-day rodeo is hosted over Memorial Day weekend, beginning the night of May 24. “The only year we didn’t have the rodeo was the year Mount St. Helens blew and the COVID year,” said Pete Thiry, president of the Coulee City Rodeo Association.

ACH baseball, softball sweep Republic

Dual doubleheaders bring four wins for Warriors

COULEE CITY – Both the Almira/Coulee-Hartline baseball and softball teams picked up big wins over Republic over the weekend, as both Warrior squads prepare to conclude their regular seasons this week.

Moses Lake defeats Eastmont, West Valley and Davis in track meet

MOSES LAKE – The Mavericks picked up wins against West Valley (Yakima), Davis and Eastmont on both the boys and girls side of Thursday’s Columbia Basin Big 9 meet. Moses Lake’s girls team defeated West Valley 106-43, Davis 120-29 and Eastmont 101-49. The Maverick boys won 98-47 over West Valley, 114-30 over Davis and 75-70 against Eastmont.

Walk-off sends Mavs over Wenatchee

MOSES LAKE – After tying the ballgame in the bottom of the ninth, Moses Lake earned a walk-off win over Wenatchee to sweep the Panthers in Friday’s doubleheader, winning 3-2 after defeating Wenatchee 10-1 earlier in the day. “It’s been the same all year – whether we come off wins, come off losses, these guys are ready to go,” Moses Lake Head Coach Donnie Lindgren said. “Sometimes it works out for us and sometimes it doesn’t; we’ve had some struggles swinging it, but they worked hard in practice all week and were ready to go today.”

Huskies defeat Ephrata, take second in CWAC

OTHELLO – Even with one game remaining on the schedule, the Othello boys soccer team locked up a second-place finish in the Central Washington Athletic Conference, giving the Huskies a first-round bye in next week’s district tournament. Othello finished second to East Valley (Yakima) for the second straight season.

Wahluke defeats Royal 1-0

MATTAWA – An early goal by Wahluke senior Diego Olivares was enough to determine the winner of Tuesday’s South Central Athletic Conference (East) match between the Warriors and Royal, with Wahluke winning 1-0.

BASIN SOCCER ROUNDUP: The final stretch

COLUMBIA BASIN – Boys soccer regular seasons come to a close next week, as local squads battle for seeding in their upcoming district tournaments.

Jackrabbits host CLA Quincy Invitational

QUINCY — Twenty-two track and field teams gathered at Quincy High School for Saturday’s CliftonLarsonAllen Quincy Invitational for a full day of sprints, runs and throws. The Jackrabbits had the highest finish among local teams in both the boys and girls meet. “Overall, the meet ran really smooth,” Quincy boys track and field Head Coach Andrew Schmitt said. “We were worried a little bit that we might get some wind because we got a lot of wind earlier in the week, but it thankfully died down and made it for a really nice day for competition.” The Quincy boys took fifth with a score of 61 points. Rounding out the top five were Cashmere in first (123.5 points), Brewster (103), Toppenish (94) and Goldendale (66). Wahluke (38) took sixth and Othello (7) took 14th.

Wildcats, Zags, Cougars week in review

MOSES LAKE – Area college baseball teams continue to battle for positioning with postseason baseball quickly approaching.

DIAMOND RECAP: Baseball, softball enter the final stretch of the regular season

COLUMBIA BASIN – District tournaments across the Columbia Basin begin as soon as next week, as local squads aim to finish the regular season on a high note. Read along to see where Basin squads stand late in the regular season.

Tigers defeat Othello in league meet

EPHRATA – Boys and girls track and field teams from Othello and Ephrata met for their first league meet of the season on Thursday, with the Tigers defeating the Huskies on both the boys and girls side of the meet. The Ephrata boys picked up a 107-38 win, while the Tiger girls won 113-28.

Huskies sweep Prosser, head into final stretch of regular season

OTHELLO – With a sweep of Prosser on Friday, the Othello Huskies improved to 10-1 this spring with convincing 10-0 and 15-0 wins over the Mustangs. Friday’s doubleheader came two weeks after Othello’s previous outing, a home doubleheader against Ellensburg on April 5.

Moses Lake Grid Kids enters 25th year

MOSES LAKE – Heading into its 25th year, Moses Lake Grid Kids continues to provide opportunities to youth athletes on the gridiron. Grid Kids offers both flag and tackle football teams to youth football players in Moses Lake and beyond.

Mavs capitalize on errors, defeat Davis 7-2

MOSES LAKE – Despite being held to just two hits, the Moses Lake Mavericks capitalized off of five Davis errors to defeat the Pirates 7-1 in Tuesday’s Columbia Basin Big 9 matchup.

Local T&F teams compete at Pasco Invite

Maverick boys, girls have highest team placings among local squads

PASCO – Track and field squads from across the Pacific Northwest gathered at Edgar Brown Stadium in Pasco for the Pasco Invite on Saturday, including local teams from Ephrata, Moses Lake, Othello and Royal. “I thought the kids did really well,” Moses Lake track and field Head Coach Nicki Weiland said. “We had kids that placed, which is hard to do at a meet of that size. The kids were excited and overwhelmed because that’s a big meet – a lot of them had never been to a meet that big.”

Huskies sweep Prosser in doubleheader

OTHELLO – A doubleheader sweep of Prosser improved the Othello Huskies to 13-2 this season, defeating the Mustangs by scores of 9-1 and 8-3 on Saturday afternoon. “Coming into the day we felt pretty confident (that) if we all play together and we’re all connected and we’re clicking, I think we’re pretty unstoppable,” Othello junior Jordan Montemayor said.

Jacks defeat Chelan in OT

QUINCY – Tied at two entering overtime, Quincy junior Danny Mendoza delivered a goal to give his Jackrabbit squad a 3-2 lead over Chelan, eventually holding on for their fourth league win of the season. “I just saw an opening – I asked Erick (Zepeda) for the ball, and luckily he gave me a good ball,” Mendoza said. “I slotted it right past the keeper’s hands, went right below his hands, and it was a beautiful goal.”

Solid win: Mavs take down Walla Walla 13-2

MOSES LAKE – A seven-run bottom of the fourth inning gave Moses Lake a double-digit run lead over visiting Walla Walla on Friday afternoon, ending the game in the fifth inning with a 13-2 Maverick victory. Moses Lake improved to 11-0 with the win over the Blue Devils.

Basin soccer roundup: Three top-10 teams in 1A

The regular season for local soccer teams is over halfway done, as Basin squads prepare for their final stretch of league games. Teams in Quincy, Royal City and Mattawa have all found themselves in the top 10 of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s Rating Percentage Index. 4A

Moses Lake BMX heads into 2024 season

MOSES LAKE — With the weather beginning to warm up, riders are returning to the Larson BMX Track for the 2024 season with Moses Lake BMX. “It’s awesome. We’ve got a ton of momentum this year, and a lot of new riders so far this year,” Moses Lake BMX Track Operator Jeff Niehenke said. “A really good board, and a ton of energy to really grow the program and put on good events.” Moses Lake BMX hosts weekly races on Saturday mornings until mid-May when the races shift to Friday nights at 7 p.m. There are also weekly practices held on Wednesdays, where riders can get a feel for the starting gate.

Wahluke scores four second-half goals, defeats College Place

MATTAWA – Two early goals were enough for the Wahluke boys soccer team to take down College Place on Tuesday, defeating the Eagles 6-1 to improve to 9-1 this spring. “We’ve been craving that,” Wahluke Head Coach Cele Lopez said of the team’s start to the match. “We need to start that way every single game. The boys, I think they’re getting the hang of it. They’re realizing that if we start strong, we don’t struggle as much. We run less, we keep possession of the ball and we can manage the timing of the game.” Senior Diego Olivares netted two goals early in the match, both of which came in the fifth minute. The senior noted the team’s chemistry as a significant factor in Tuesday’s win.

Basin sports schedule April 10-16

COLUMBIA BASIN – Check out this week’s sports schedule, featuring local baseball, golf, soccer, softball, tennis and track and field events.

Zamora scores four goals, Mavs defeat Cheney

MOSES LAKE – The Mavericks snapped a six-game losing skid with Monday night’s 4-2 win over Cheney, with senior Joshua Zamora leading his squad by scoring all four of Moses Lake’s goals in the win. “We’ve been dealing with injuries with players throughout the season, so (Monday) we had a gameplan of making sure we touched and moved – that way we can avoid injuries and be ready for the second half of the season,” Moses Lake Head Coach Miguel Segura said. “That was working for us really well, and all the communication that we were doing was helping a lot.”

DIAMOND RECAP: Local squads stay busy over spring break

COLUMBIA BASIN – Even with many teams off last week for spring break, there was still plenty of action across the Basin baseball and softball fields.

MLHS alum Maximus Zamora earns All-American honors at NAIA tournament

MOSES LAKE – The success of Moses Lake's storied wrestling program stretches beyond the high school ranks. Maximus Zamora, a 2021 graduate of Moses Lake High School, recently proved that at last month’s National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championships after battling through injuries throughout the season.

First-year Othello goalkeeper learns to fit in with team, local area

OTHELLO – Guarding the net for the Othello boys soccer team this season has been senior Aksel Jebsen, who’s been using his six-foot-eight frame to break up opposing shots in the early weeks of the season. Even though he’s a senior, this is Jebsen’s first year playing with the Huskies. In fact, this is his first year in the country.

ACH’s Molitor looks to build off fourth-place state finish

COULEE CITY — A year after taking fourth at the 1B/2B Girls State Golf Championships as a freshman, Almira/Coulee-Hartline sophomore Naomi Molitor returns to the course this season aiming for yet another high placing. “It felt really good that it was my first year, and that I could accomplish something that big – it just made me think that in years to come, I can do that again and I can do a lot better,” Molitor said. Molitor won a district championship to qualify for the state tournament, coming back from a significant first-day deficit.

Gonzalez’s late goal propels Othello over Selah

OTHELLO – A late goal broke a 1-1 tie between Othello and Selah in Saturday’s Central Washington Athletic Conference match, giving the Huskies a 2-1 win to improve to 4-1 in league games this spring.

Knights split doubleheader with Eastmont

ROYAL CITY — The Knights split Friday’s doubleheader against Eastmont, winning the first game 13-6 before suffering a 12-8 loss to the Wildcats in the nightcap. Royal Head Coach Lisa Lawrence said it’s important to face challenging teams during the non-league slate. “We were feeling confident,” Lawrence said. “We were trying to line up with good competition – we know we need to see that to head into state, to see some competition that we don’t see in league sometimes. Eastmont’s always fun to play; we know them pretty well. We know they have good pitching and hitting.”

DIAMOND RECAP: League play begins

COLUMBIA BASIN – Many Basin baseball and softball squads have been wrapping up non-league games and have begun to face competition in their respective leagues. Read along for a look at how teams have fared in their games over the past week.

Huskies defeat Wenatchee 10-0

OTHELLO – A five-run bottom of the third inning surged the Othello Huskies in their non-league matchup against Wenatchee on Wednesday, defeating the Panthers 10-0 in five innings.

ACH baseball sweeps Wellpinit in doubleheader

COULEE CITY – The Almira/Coulee-Hartline baseball team continued its strong start to the season with a doubleheader sweep of Wellpinit on Tuesday, winning by scores of 17-1 and 16-1.

ACH softball picks up wins over Wellpinit

COULEE CITY – The Almira/Coulee-Hartline softball team carried on its streak of run-ruling teams in Tuesday’s doubleheader against Wellpinit, winning 16-0 and 19-2. “We were feeling pretty confident,” ACH Head Coach Faye Butler said. “When the girls warmed up they were looking pretty good.”

Knights defeat College Place 5-1

ROYAL CITY – Three first-half goals against College Place were enough to push the Knights over the Eagles in Saturday’s South Central Athletic Conference (East) matchup, with Royal going on to win 5-1.

'It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience'

Mavericks baseball team practices at T-Mobile Park

MOSES LAKE – Practices during a season can be grueling and repetitive, especially when you’re in the same routine for a three-month span. Well, that routine changed for the Moses Lake baseball team last weekend; the team held a practice at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, the home of the Seattle Mariners.

Tigers split doubleheader with East Valley

EPHRATA – The Tigers split Friday’s doubleheader against East Valley (Yakima) first falling 2-1 before responding with an 8-4 win over the Red Devils. “Our guys don’t stop fighting,” Ephrata coach David Tempel said. “Every pitch, they’re in it. We did some great things with our short game today, played some small ball when we had to. The guys never quit fighting, and that’s what they’re known for.”

DIAMOND RECAP: Basin teams in full swing

COLUMBIA BASIN – Baseball and softball season is now in full swing across the Columbia Basin, as local squads have been competing in non-league contests to prepare for their respective conference seasons. Read along for a look at how teams have fared through the early weeks of the season.

Tigers defeat Wenatchee 10-3

EPHRATA — A four-run bottom of the third gave Ephrata the lead for good in Tuesday’s non-league softball contest against Wenatchee, defeating the Panthers 10-3 and improving to 3-2 this spring.

Knights open season with 11-0 win over Selah

ROYAL CITY — The Knights opened the 2024 season with a double-digit defeat of Selah, winning 11-0 in five innings. Royal scored seven runs off of six hits in the bottom of the third inning to grow its earlier 1-0 lead.