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Tigers best Huskies in district playoff game

MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 3 months AGO
by MIKE MAYNARD
| May 15, 2025 3:00 AM

SELAH – The Ephrata Tigers softball team (19-10) held off a comeback attempt by the Othello Huskies (12-13) in the third-place game with a final score of 7-6.   

“My biggest thing was, I know they can do it, I can trust in our offense, I can trust our defense, and they can get it done,” head coach Heather Wood said.  

The first two innings were scoreless as both defenses remained strong. It would not be until the third inning that both teams would erupt offensively. The Huskies would get on the board first with three runs. However, the Tigers would respond with six of their own, taking a strong hold of the lead.  

Key moments from the game included Jaemyson Durfee of the Tigers, who scored two triples against the Huskies, while Dakota Durfee logged one of her own.  

For the Huskies, Emi Pruneda and Lovie Franco each logged a home run, which was crucial to their comeback attempt against the Tigers.  

In the seventh inning, the Huskies scored two runs and were just one point away from tying the game.  

“The thing that was nice is those two outs, if we had to, we would have stepped back in the plate, we would have had at-bats again,” Wood said.  

The Tigers were able to force three outs and end the game and the season for the Huskies. They will move on to the District 6 crossover game, where they will have another shot at going to states.  

The Tigers' opponents and game details had not been announced as of press time. 

    Emi Pruneda got home thanks to a hit by a fellow teammate. Pruneda racked up five total bases against the Tigers.
 
 
    Kaydence Hector cracks the ball to the outfield. Hector recorded an RBI against the Huskies.
 
 
    Alexia Durfee fired off a pitch at the Huskie batter. Durfee forced three strikeouts against the Huskies.
 
 
    Pruneda was welcomed by her team after pulling off a homerun play. Pruneda paired a homerun with teammate Lovie Franco.
 
 
    Jaeda Gonzalez up at bat for the Tigers. Gonzalez logged two doubles and an RBI in the Tigers win over the Huskies.
 
 


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