“I liked that game,” said Regis pitcher Blake Nygren.
What else could he say?
Nygren had just finished pitching a five-inning no-hitter with 12 strikeouts. At the plate he delivered a grand slam home run. And the Rams defeated Santiam 14-0 on April 23 to stay unbeaten in Class 2A-1A’s Special District 3 baseball standings. Regis is 10-4 overall and ranked tenth in Class 2A-1A.
And there was still more fun awaiting Nygren, a lanky junior. The game was played on his 17th birthday and his teammates, family and friends serenaded him with a sterling rendition of Happy Birthday, complete with enough cupcakes for the Wolverines players to join in on the celebration.
By the time Nygren took the hill the Rams led 6-0 as the opportunistic Rams put together four hits and stole eight bases in the top of the first, a frame lasting 24 minutes.
“Having that six-run lead gave me some confidence,” Nygren said. “On offense we have a lot of guys with speed who can steal a base.”
Nygren struck out the first seven batters he faced before issuing a walk in the bottom of the third. No matter. Senior catcher Noah Koenig picked the runner off first. Santiam put two balls in play, both in the bottom of the 4th. Leadoff hitter Mason Lindemann hit a sharp liner right at Regis first baseman Luke Castillo and one out later Santiam catcher Lukus Lebahn hit a pop foul gathered in by Castillo.
Nygren then struck out the side in the bottom of the 5th, ending the game because of the 10-run rule. Nygren caught the Wolverines looking on six of his 12 strikeouts, usually with fastballs on the outside corner.
His fastball was working all day, Nygren said, and he guessed that he threw 85 percent fastballs. The no-hitter was the third of his Regis career and his first this season.
Regis coach Kyle Baker praised Koenig for his work in support of Nygren.
“A lot of the credit goes to Noah,” Baker said. “He called a great game. He works so hard for us behind the plate.”
And as the Rams’ leadoff hitter as well. Koenig reached base four times against Santiam, stole two bases and scored twice. Through games of April 17 he had 20 stolen bases and was among the state leaders. He swiped 39 bases a year ago.
Santiam coach Clint Forste, who started an all-underclassman lineup, summed up the challenge of facing Regis by noting “whenever you play Regis you have to bring your A game and we didn’t do that today. We’re young and developing, they’re experienced. And that’s a really good young pitcher they have there.”
Regis and Santiam were scheduled to play a doubleheader on April 26 in Stayton, weather permitting. The Rams lead 7-2 Monroe/Alsea in the district standings and play a 3-game series against the Dragons the week of May 7.
Softball: Cascade and Stayton are battling tooth and nail for the Oregon West Conference championship. Both teams are 8-1 in league play, with Cascade ranked 7th in 4A and Stayton 10th. The Cougars took a 7-1 win against the Eagles on April 15, with Eagles turning the tables by a 5-4 count on April 25, paced by five RBIs from Kenzi Hollenbeck. The two teams play a third time in Turner on May 8 with the league title going to the winner.
