Knights finish sweep of Black Bears, 13-3

Sunday, June 29, Corvallis, Ore.  – The Knights completed a series and season sweep of Cowlitz with a 13-3 rout, delighting a crowd of 1,159 on a warm afternoon at Goss Stadium.

Corvallis (17-10, 16-10 WCL) stretched its winning streak to four games in a row and maintained a firm grip on second place in the first-half Southern Division pennant race, with one game remaining. Portland has already clinched first place, an automatic berth in the postseason, and home-field advantage throughout the divisional playoffs.

The Knights scored 12 unanswered runs in innings 4-8 to transform a 2-1 deficit into a 13-2 advantage. After scoring twice in the fourth and fifth innings, they removed all doubt with a four-run sixth and a three-run seventh.

Thomas Ferroggiaro (Santa Clara, pictured above) was 3-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs and a stolen base. It was his second three-hit game of the summer, the other coming against Ridgefield on June 22.

He also got the final two outs in his first relief appearance. He earned Washington Park Advisors Player of the Game honors.

Maddox Riske (USC), who drove in the winning run in the 11^th inning on June 28,  had three RBIs, trying him for the team lead with 14. Braeden Mondeau (Hawaii-Hilo) and Ian Fernandez (UCSB) added RBI doubles and Kellen Segel (LBCC) scored three times in his return to the lineup from injury.

Every starter either scored or drove in a run. Corvallis finished the season 6-0 vs. the Black Bears; it also swept at Longview on June 17-19.

Winning pitcher Landen Parker (NW Nazarene), Dom Tatone (Western Oregon),  Brock Ketelsen (Stanford) and Ferroggiaro combined for 5.2 innings of one-run relief. The bullpen was outstanding all weekend long, allowing only two runs in 23 total innings, an 0.78 ERA.

The Knights visit the Marion Berries at Chemeketa Community College in Salem on June 30. The starter for Corvallis is TBA; the Berries will go with St. Mary’s lefty David Roberts (1-2, 6.56).

Corvallis then hosts Gunderson Baseball on July 1 and the Northwest Stars on July 3 in a pair of nonleague games. It resumes the WCL slate with Bend at Goss Stadium on July 4-6.

July 3 is the annual Oregon State Credit Union Fireworks Night, with a special 7:15 p.m. starting time.  The game always sells out so purchase your tickets now.

Incoming Oregon State freshman pitcher Tyler Bellerose will join the Knights on July 1. He is a 6-foot, 190-pound righty from Huntington Beach High School in Huntington Beach, Calif., where he was an all-league standout and league MVP.

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