Baseball Recap: Nestucca Comes Up Short

Nestucca had lost five straight at home, but on Friday they dropped their record down to 5-15 to make it six. They fell just short of the Portland Christian Royals by a score of 8-6. Unfortunately, that's the third time they've come up short against the Royals this season, with their most recent defeat being a 6-5 loss on Friday.

Nestucca saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jaxon Jensen, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run. Another was Brady Hurliman, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

As for Portland Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games.

On Portland Christian's side, Thomas Cosgrove made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Cosgrove has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs. Those two runs gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, Keylon Kittleson was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one triple. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. Pasquale Walker was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Nestucca will take on Knappa at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Loggers' pitching crew has only allowed 3.3 runs per game this season, so the Bobcats' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Portland Christian, they will challenge Vernonia at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Royals are facing the Loggers at the right time seeing as the Loggers are stuck on an eight-game losing streak.