The No. 11-ranked Newport High Cubs (2-1) had a great start to their OSAA Class 4A baseball schedule in winning their first two nonleague road games. The Cubs won 6-1 over the Seaside High Seagulls (2-1) in their March 13 season opener, followed by an 8-4 win over the Astoria High Fishermen (1-3) March 15.
The Cubs then traveled on a long road trip to the Columbia Gorge to face The Dalles High Riverhawks (2-1) March 18 and they were seeking to get a third consecutive victory. The matchup consisted of two teams that were in the 2023 OSAA Class 4A state playoffs.
The Cubs, guided by seventh-year Coach Taylor Plesha, had a good start with a 1-0 third inning lead. The Dalles responded by scoring nine runs over the next three innings to build a 9-1 fifth inning advantage. The Cubs fought back in the top of the seventh and scored three runs, but the rally fell a little short in a 9-4 loss to the Riverhawks at Quinton Street Ballpark in The Dalles.
“It was a little too late, but I’m proud of our guys because they always compete really hard,” said Plesha, who has guided Newport to the state playoffs seven straight years. “That’s just part of the process that helps us to improve by playing tough opponents on the road. They (Riverhawks) are a really good team and The Dalles Coach Pat Clark does a really good job and I have a lot of respect for their program.”
Newport junior starting pitcher Ethan Bruns (three strikeouts, walk, four hits allowed) helped provide the Cubs with the early momentum after he pitched two scoreless innings. Bruns was tough as nails at the plate too with a solid hitting performance as he batted 3-for-4 with three singles.
“I felt pretty happy about how well I was hitting,” said Bruns. “At the beginning of the game, I felt like we had a good chance to win. We ended up not winning, but that’s okay. I feel like we’re capable of winning the league title and then go to the state playoffs.”
Newport took third place in the Oregon West Conference last year with a 9-6 mark and 17-9 overall.
In a scoreless tie in the top of the third inning, junior Quinten Layton drew a walk and then Bruns followed with a single. The duo then did some nifty baserunning on a double steal and Layton sprinted home on the play, putting the Cubs up 1-0.
“We had a nice steal that helped us get the lead early in the game,” said Layton. “I feel like we’re going to go to the state playoffs again this year and I think we’ll win the league title too.”
The No. 6-ranked Riverhawks responded by scoring three runs to take a 3-1 lead. The Riverhawks continued to display a solid offensive attack as they scored four runs in the fourth and two in the fifth, extending their lead to 9-1.
Following a scoreless sixth inning, the Cubs came back in the seventh and they scored three runs, while loading the bases and having a chance to maybe even score again. The Riverhawks responded to the challenge as they stepped up their defense to slow the Cubs offense down and hang on for the win.
“They (Riverhawks) are a team that we could very likely see again in the playoffs, so we’re really excited that we had the opportunity to play them,” said Plesha. “We’ll build off of this and we’ll learn from our mistakes. Our guys competed on every single pitch and I was so proud that they did that all the way through the entire game.”
The quartet of Cubs pitchers Bruns Ryder Hockema, Rory Barber and Connor Mason combined for nine strikeouts, nine walks and seven hits allowed. The Cubs had a total of six hits and they were led offensively by Barber (1-for-3, RBI), Collin Fierro (1-for-3) and Tyler Mattson (1-for-3).
“We were very excited to win our first two games and we had lots of young guys getting some good experience by playing some playoff teams from last season and we’re thankful that we won two out of three games,” said Plesha.
The Cubs played their opening home game Wednesday against the defending state champion and No. 12-ranked Scappoose High Indians (2-1). They play their next contest Thursday at 4 p.m. on the road versus the No. 15-ranked Tillamook High Cheesemakers (1-1), followed by a March 25 4:30 p.m. home game against the No. 3-ranked Henley High Hornets (1-0).
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