EPHRATA — The Othello Huskies (12-3) swept the Ephrata Tigers (3-14) in a doubleheader Saturday. Game one was a competitive 4-1 win while game two saw an offensive frenzy ensue for a final score of 17-1.  

“We got another solid two outings from our two pitchers; (they) did really good on the mound, mixing it up and throwing a lot of strikes. Our defense played really well, made some plays, a couple of big-time plays from our infielders, and (we) kind of needed it late in game one, which was really helpful. And then our hitters just kind of stayed consistent,” Othello Head Coach Sonny Garza said. 

Game one was a slow burn, with the Tigers taking a 1-0 lead in the third inning. However, two runs in the fifth and seventh innings by the Huskies while holding Ephrata scoreless earned them their first win of the day. Othello carried its offensive production to a 4-0 lead after two innings in game two. From there, they erupted with eight runs in the fourth inning and added five more in the fifth to secure the sweep with a 17-1 win over the Tigers.  

“They're well coached (and) we knew it was going to have to be one of our better efforts to compete with them, and in the first game, we definitely gave them that,” Ephrata Head Coach David Tempel said. “Really proud of my guys and how they fought. Game Two just got away from us. Give Othello credit, they swung the bats and then they didn't make mistakes defensively. When they pitched well and they swung it well they got away from us.” 

Game one 

Pitchers for both teams were firing on all cylinders, preventing scores from either team through the top of the third inning. However, in the bottom of the third, Mitchell Johnson got home on an error to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. 

The fourth inning saw another scoreless outing for both teams offensively, but the Huskies claimed the lead with two runs by Noah Ozuna and Zayvier Olazcon at the top of the fifth. Othello’s defense held the Tigers scoreless for the rest of the game while adding two more runs by Xavier Guzman and Donny Suarez in the top of the seventh.  

Leading the defensive effort was Xzyyvn Martinez, who pitched all seven innings. He allowed two hits, one run and two walks and struck out 16 batters.  

“He's been really solid for us on the mound,” Garza said. “And yet another great outing; 16 strikeouts is impressive. He's been throwing the ball really well for us with confidence. It's good for our guys to back him up, and they know that he's going to go up there and throw strikes for them and have a good game, so it's good confidence for him.” 

Helping the Huskies in their scoring efforts were Martinez, Quade Gonzalez and Ryan Martinez, who each recorded an RBI in game one.  

Game two 

The Huskies took the lead in the top of the first after three runs by Gonzalez, Xzyyvn and Ryan Martinez. An additional run in the second by Trey Tovar gave Othello a 4-0 lead. After a scoreless third inning by both teams, the Huskies offense went on a tear in the fourth with eight runs. This run was also kicked off with a home run by RJay Garza, which also helped Olazcon and Xzyyvn get home.  

“He's so fast,” Coach Garza said. “He gets really good reads on the ball and when he's at the plate... (he’s) a dynamic hitter for us. He's super strong; if he could put a good barrel on the baseball, I know it's going to go a long way (and) it's going to be hit pretty firm. Each time he steps up to the plate, I'm excited to see what's going to happen next.” 

From there, Othello added five more runs in the fifth to make the score 17-0. The Tigers had one last chance to climb back into the game. Despite Mitchell Johnson getting home, it was not enough to get momentum rolling in their favor, and the Huskies secured their second win of the day.  

As the Tigers look ahead, Tempel said they are focused on finishing innings stronger. In several instances, they had the Huskies with two outs but managed to sneak in a few more runs before getting thrown out, the coach said.  

“If we make those plays with two outs, then we limit the damage. That'll be the big one going forward ... good teams are going to get on base, good teams are going to make things happen, but how you limit those big innings I think will be a big focus for us going forward,” Tempel said.  

The Tigers are set to hit the road Tuesday to play the Quincy Jacks at 4:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Huskies also are on the road when they travel to play the Selah Vikings at 4:40 p.m. Tuesday. For Sonny and Othello, they are doing everything they can to peak at the right time once postseason rolls around.  

“I don't think we're quite there yet. There's always a few things we could always get a little bit better at,” he said. “Selah is going to be a big test for our adversity to kind of see where we're at. We’ve (also) got Ellensburg this Saturday, so I believe after this weekend, that should be a pretty good indicator on how well our players feel as a whole. Hopefully that will give us the momentum to ride into the into the district playoffs.” 

BOX SCORE: 

Game one  

OTHL: 0-0-0-0-2-0-2: 4 

EPHT: 0-0-1-0-0-0-0: 1 

Game two  

OTHL: 3-1-0-8-5: 17 

EPHT: 0-0-0-0-1: 1

    The Tigers’ Kai Kaleohano (13) steps up to home plate to bat. Kaleohano earned a stolen base in game one against the Huskies Saturday.
  

    The Huskies’ Tyler Suarez (3) steps into his swing while at bat against the Ephrata Tigers Saturday.
  

    The Tigers’ Cooper Vasquez (2) uncorks his next pitch against Othello Saturday.