Bobcat baseball extends win streak to nine

The No. 15-ranked Nestucca High Bobcats have nearly clinched an OSAA Class 2A/1A baseball state playoff berth for the first time since 2019 following a nine-game win streak to vault them into second place in the eight-team Special District 1 standings.

The Bobcats (10-2 SD1, 12-5 overall) notched their ninth straight win with a high scoring, come-from-behind victory versus the Gaston High Greyhounds (3-9 SD1, 6-10 overall) in Game 2 of a home doubleheader April 26. Nestucca trailed 16-10 in the top of the seventh inning and it appeared that their win streak was in jeopardy.

Led by Jaxon Jensen (2-for-4, three RBI), Owen Love (2-for-2, two RBI) and Zac Collins (2-for-4, RBI, four runs), the Bobcats deployed their prolific offensive attack (10 runs per game average) to score seven runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 17-16 win. Brady Hurliman (1-for-4, two RBI) and Nolen Hurliman (1-for-1, RBI) also made key offensive contributions for Coach John Sousa’s Bobcats. The Bobcats benefited from a total of 12 walks by the Greyhounds.

“The guys are all doing their job and we’ve managed to put together a nice win streak and we’re hoping that we’ll continue winning some more games,” said Sousa. “Our team is looking good and everyone is healthy at this point of the season, other than a few guys who have some bumps and bruises. Nolen Hurliman started playing about a month ago after he recovered from a knee injury that happened during basketball season and he’s been a real nice asset to have back on the team, which is a real good thing for us.”

In the first game of the doubleheader, Nolen Hurliman hit a two-run homer to help propel Nestucca to a 14-10 win over Gaston. The Bobcats won the first matchup of a three-game series versus Gaston 14-4 on April 23, at Gaston High School.

“Nolen has been spending more time on the mound recently and he’s been absolutely stellar for us with his strong pitching performances as a middle reliever and he’s really been shutting guys down,” said Sousa. “His earned run average is really low and he’s been swinging his bat well too and he hit a couple of home runs recently.”

Collins and sophomore Eli Love have also hit home runs to help spark the Bobcats offense during their recent win streak.

“We dominated the first game of the doubleheader against Gaston and then we made an impressive comeback effort in Game two” said Sousa. “That was just a great game for our guys so that we can kind of put in perspective that no matter how far we’re down, the game isn’t out of reach by any means and we can come back and beat anybody.”

The Bobcats were hoping that their momentum would continue in Tuesday’s 4:30 p.m. home game versus the Portland Christian High Royals (4-8 SD1, 6-10 overall). The Bobcats face the Royals again in a 3 p.m. doubleheader in Portland. Nestucca has six games remaining in the regular season, which concludes May 16, with a home doubleheader versus the No. 1-ranked Knappa High Loggers (12-0 SD1, 12-4 overall).

Nestucca Softball

The Nestucca High Bobcats hoped to snap a three-game losing streak when they faced the Gaston High Greyhounds in an OSAA Class 2A/1A Special District 1 softball April 23 road contest. The Bobcats nearly accomplished their goal too as they just fell short by one run in a 7-6 loss.

The Bobcats (3-9 SD1, 5-11 overall) then had another chance to get a win and end their slump in an April 26 home doubleheader versus the Greyhounds (4-9 SD1, 4-14 overall). Much like the first matchup of the three-games series, the Bobcats were in position to get a victory as they built a 5-3 lead in the third inning, highlighted by a two RBI single by junior Rylee Armstrong.

The Greyhounds responded with a rally to go ahead 9-6 and they held on to win another close one, 10-8. That marked Nestucca’s fourth loss this year by three runs or less. Bobcat freshman Piper Armstrong pitched a complete seven-inning game and she allowed 11 hits, with nine strikeouts and 10 walks. Senior Kyla Hurliman and freshman McKenna McDonald both had two hits for Nestucca. Senior Hailee Knight led the Bobcats offense as she batted 1-for-4, with three RBI.

After two losses to the Greyhounds by a total of just three runs, first-year Coach Megan Deam’s Bobcats had hoped to bounce back in Game 2 of the doubleheader. It was close early in the contest, which was knotted 2-2 in the first inning. The Greyhounds dominated the remainder of the matchup though as they pulled away for a 16-8 victory.

“We’re hoping to get another win soon and we felt really confident that we had a chance to get a win against Gaston, but unfortunately we lost,” said Deam. “Piper has been doing an awesome job, while she’s been pitching great, but she’s still kind of struggling with injuries, so she’s not necessarily at the top of her game.”

Armstrong relieved sophomore starting pitcher Taylor Knight in the second inning and played the remainder of the game finishing with 11 walks, 11 strikeouts and 11 hits. The Bobcats were led offensively by Hurliman (two hits, RBI), senior Melanie Velasquez (two hits, RBI), Armstrong (RBI) and Yureli Garcia (RBI).

“Piper has had a lot of walks, but that’s because her back has really been bothering her,” said Deam. “She pushed through and I was proud of the way she was pitching and she’s going a to be a dynamite athlete by her junior or senior year. She’s a strong pitcher and she throws with very good speed and with the work she’s putting in now, she’ll continue grow and I’m excited to see what she’ll do in the future.

Hurliman has some impressive overall offensive stats this season that includes a .475 batting average and on base percentage of .650. She leads the Bobcats with 19 hits and 13 RBI.

“Kyla is our top athlete, she has been hitting really well and she has five doubles, four triples and 10 singles, so she’s definitely our best hitter,” said Deam.

The Bobcats have two players doing the very impressive dual role of competing simultaneously in two spring sports. Freshman Makayla Webber compete on the Bobcats girls track in field team in the pole vault and sprinting events. Hurliman is also on the Bobcats track team and she competes in throwing events. Both players are sometimes unable to play softball if they have a track meet with a conflicting schedule.

“We try to give the kids as much of an opportunity to play two sports if they can, but sometimes it can be challenging, especially when a softball game and a track meet are scheduled on the same day,” said Deam. “We only have a roster of 12 players, so it can be challenging if track meets are on the same day. We’re hoping to get at least another one or two wins by the end of the season. I feel confident that we’ll perform strong in the last couple of weeks of the season and hopefully we’ll be able to win some games for our five seniors who will be playing the final games of their career.”

The Bobcats were hoping to get a win in Tuesday’s 4:30 p.m. home game versus the Perrydale High Pirates (3-10). The Bobcats play their next game in a 3 p.m. Thursday doubleheader on the road versus the Pirates. The Bobcats have six games remaining in the season, which concludes with a May 15 doubleheader on Senior Night at Nestucca High School against the Knappa High Loggers (10-2 SD1, 12-4 overall). The Bobcats are in sixth place in the eight-team SD1 standings and they’re not going to qualify for the league playoffs.

“After losing our best player from last year (2023 Nestucca graduate Abby Love) and then coming in as a first-year coach, we knew that this year was going to be a little bit of a rebuilding season,” said Deam. “We’re feeling very hopeful that the future of Nestucca softball with be much better for us next year.”