CORVALLIS, Ore. – Right fielder Jordan Qsar homered and doubled but Corvallis mustered little other offense and fell 3-1 to Gresham at Goss Stadium.
Gresham starter Andrew Hansen limited the Knights (33-18, 28-18 WCL, 11-8 second half) to one run and four hits through eight innings for his sixth win. Brad Danzeisen pitched the ninth for his second save.
A rising Pepperdine senior, Qsar moved into a tie for the WCL lead in homers with Bellingham’s Chase Illig when he jacked his 12th of the summer well over the right-field fence in the first inning. It was his first homer since July 14 at Port Angeles.
He also hit a two-out double to center field in the sixth inning but was stranded. Taylor Travess (Oregon) doubled and Elliot Willy (Oregon State), Zak Taylor (OSU) and Gabe Matthews (Oregon) singled for the Knights’ other hits.
The Knights hit into two double plays, were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven. They had two on with one out in the ninth but a force out and a fly out ended the game.
Corvallis starter Cason Cunningham (Linfield), a South Division all-star, left the game in the second inning with an undetermined arm injury. He allowed one hit, had one strikeout and was not involved in the decision.
Reliever Kolby Somers (Oregon) walked the first two GreyWolves in the third and they eventually scored on a two-out single by Jackson Overlund. Overlund drove in Gresham’s third run with a fifth-inning sacrifice fly.
The series resumes at 6:40 p.m. Thursday; righty Dakota Donovan (1-1, 3.85) is the projected starter for the Knights, opposed by Lewis & Clark College righty Robert Reaser (1-4, 3.21).
The series concludes at 6:40 p.m. Friday. Righty Cole Spear (2-1, 5.22) goes for Corvallis, opposed by UC Davis lefty Chris Brown (2-0, 4.17).
The five-game homestand end at 6:40 p.m. Saturday with a nonleague game against the Oregon Collegiate Baseball League all-stars. The starting pitcher for Corvallis is undetermined.
In other team news, left-handed pitcher Ross Massey of Tulane has returned to Louisiana to attend a family matter and will not be back for the balance of the season. The Baton Rouge native was 1-1, 4.90 in six games, with 16 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. He won his last start, at Port Angeles on July 15.