LOST RIVER — The Union/Cove baseball team beat not only the opening-round jitters and a road trip to Lost River but also pulled the upset in a win over the Pirates on Monday, May 20, in first-round action of the OSAA Class 2A/1A state baseball playoffs.

Coming in as the 22nd seed, the Bobcats upended 11th seeded Lost River, 15-8.

Union/Cove jumped out early in the game, putting up a 4-1 lead. Lost River fought back, cutting the lead to 4-3 before a four-run explosion, led by Tee Ledbetter driving in a pair of runs, pushed the Bobcats back out to an 8-3 margin.

The Bobcats continued with the hot bats, adding two additional runs in the top of the fifth, while the Pirates added four runs in the bottom of the inning to head into the sixth inning with Union/Cove leading 10-7.

The final inning saw runners from both teams cross home plate with Union/Cove adding five additional runs and Lost River adding a single run to end the game.

With the victory, Union/Cove pushes the team’s overall record to 13-11.

The Bobcats will enter the second round on May 22 with a trip to St. Paul, the sixth seed in the tournament.

The Buckaroos host the Bobcats after finishing the season with a 20-6 overall showing, including a third-place finish in 2A/1A Special District 1. The final week of the season was mixed for St. Paul as the team grabbed two victories over Portland Christian before dropping the final two games of the season to Clatskanie.

The lone opponent faced by both St. Paul and Union/Cove during the season was Heppner/Ione. In a league playoff game on May 10, the Mustangs downed the Bobcats, 6-4. The Buckaroos took a victory over Heppner/Ione in nonleague play back on March 27.