OTHELLO — The Othello Little League All-Stars are the district 5 champions and have punched their ticket to the Washington State tournament.  

“It's a good group of kids,” Head Coach Rudy Ochoa II said. “It's a really fun group, they're hard working, they come with a lot of baseball experience, so it's been fun with my staff and with the kids.” 

The All-Stars strung together three strong wins on their way to the district title. They defeated the AC 10U All-Stars 16-0, PYBA All-Stars 17-2 and 7-5 in a tight rematch. Over the course of three games, everything just came together, Ochoa said.  

“We had a couple breakout innings where the bats got hot, and everyone was piecing things together at the right time,” he said. “So we're able to get some runs across (home plate), but both of those teams are pretty good. They come with a lot of travel ball experience also.” 

AC 10U All-Stars 

Othello got the job done in just three innings, earning six runs in the bottom of the first inning, before doubling down in the second with 10. Jayven Madera, Caius Valdez, Rudy Ochoa, Luke Garza and James Valdez each scored two runs for their team. Landon Lemus, Jace Valdez, 3J Perez, Derek Valdez, Zeke Garza and Jasper Hafer also got home to help their team to a 16-0 win.  

Not only were they strong at the plate, but they were also aggressive in stealing bases. James led with five, Jace had three, while Caius, Derek, Jasper, Luke and Zeke each had one.  

“They're an aggressive bunch for sure, and they come with a lot of speed and experience on the bases, so they see opportunities and they get after it,” the coach said.  

Jayven and Landon took shifts on the mound, both pitching no hitters and striking out a combined six batters in three innings.  

PYBA All-Stars 10U (game one) 

The Othello All-Stars advanced to play the PYBA All-Stars in their second game, who gave them a challenge early on. After Othello took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, PYBA eventually tied the game in the bottom of the third.  

However, Othello responded with five runs by Jayven, Rudy, Luke, Landon and James in the top of the fourth inning to give themselves a 7-2 lead. Strong pitching forced PYBA to go scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, setting up Othello for another strong offensive outing at the plate.  

From there, they erupted for 10 runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a commanding 17-2 lead, which they held on to the rest of the game. Jayven and Rudy led the team with three runs, while James was close behind with two.  

Continuing their aggressive base stealing was Rudy who led the team with four. Jace, James and Landon each had three. Derek and Jayven stole two bases, while Zeke snagged one for himself.  

The win set them up for a rematch with PYBA just a few days later.  

PYBA All-Stars (game two) 

The rematch brought about a competitive game that saw a much tighter score. Othello started strong with three runs by Jayven, Caius and Rudy in the bottom of the first inning.

PYBA responded with a single run in the top of the second inning but managed to halt Othello in the bottom of that same inning. From there, they took a 5-3 lead after scoring four runs in the top of the third.  

“There was good play on both sides the entire game. It was just a really fun championship from start to finish,” Ochoa said.  

It wouldn’t take Othello long to rebound as they strung together four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Jayven, Caius, Landon and Rudy getting home gave them a 7-5 lead heading into the fourth inning.  

From there, it became a defensive battle between the two teams. Jayven finished his pitching shift in the fourth inning, allowing three hits, one earned run and striking out five batters. Rudy took over for the remainder of the game, preventing any hits or earned runs while striking out four batters.  

Combined with the rest of the team's defensive effort, it was enough to hold on to the lead and claim the district 5 title.  

“I know the energy was high on both sides,” the coach said. “Both teams were making plays. We had some hits taken away by good defensive plays, and we also took away some hits from some good defensive plays. Pullman is a really sound group. It was an intense battle, and Jayven started off really well for us, and then Rudy came in to close, it was good to see them make plays behind them.” 

Closing out the final game with a tighter score provided good experience for his players, Ochoa said.  

“I think it's good for them to feel that pressure, to feel that that close game,” he said. “It's going to make them stronger ball players and stronger competitors, not just in baseball.”  

Ochoa also noted that his players responded well whenever mistakes happened. Those are just a part of the game, he said.  

“It's the ones who forget it and flush it and move on,” he said. “It was fun to see them rally behind their teammates that maybe didn't pick up a hit or made an error, they were there for each other, and I think that's the experience that baseball and sports give these kids, for not just baseball, but for life.” 

The Othello All-Stars will have a few weeks to prepare for the Washington State tournament, which will be in Woodinville beginning July 18. 

Throughout this experience, Ochoa also expressed his gratitude to the Othello community who have come out to support the team this summer.  

“That was pretty impressive to see how many people showed up at that time, middle of the day, middle of the summer,” he said. “We're thankful for the support and encouragement, whether it be words or donations we've had.” 

BOX SCORES: 

Game one 

AC10: 0-0-0: 0 

OTHL: 6-10-X: 16 

Game two 

OTHL: 2-0-0-5-10: 17 

PYBL: 0-0-2-0-0: 2 

Game three 

PYBL: 0-1-4-0-0-0: 5 

OTHL: 3-0-4-0-0-X: 7

    Rudy Ochoa II (white hat on the left) talks with his players during a game earlier this season.
  

    Rudy Ochoa (12) is greeted with helmet taps in the dugout by his teammates during a game earlier this season.