Fernandez’s home run leads Knights 13-3 win

Friday, July 25, Corvallis, Ore. – Corvallis erased a 2-0 deficit by scoring 13 unanswered runs in a 13-3 rout of Yakima Valley before a Goss Stadium crowd of 1,428.

The Knights (33-14 all, 29-14 WCL, 12-4 second half) showed no ill effects from their long bus ride home from Nanaimo that saw them arrive in Corvallis at 9:30 a.m. on game day. They are now 4-1 in their last five games and have a firm grip on second place in the second-half South Division pennant race.

A three-run homer by catcher Ian Fernandez (UCSB, pictured above) capped a nine-run fourth inning that broke the game open. The towering blast, over the taller left-field fence, made it 11-2 and removed all doubt about the outcome.

Fernandez finished 1-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs and earned Washington Park Advisors Player of the Game honors. It was his third round-tripper of the summer.

Maddox Riske (USC) was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Second baseman Thomas Ferroggiaro (Santa Clara) and Trey Swygart  (Portland) each doubled and scored twice; shortstop Blake Wilson (Washington) had a triple and two RBIs.

Wilson and Ferroggiaro also teamed up on three double plays. The first one enabled the Knights to escape a bases-loaded, one-out jam after the Pippins had already scored twice.

Starter Luke Kalfsbeek (Cal Poly) gave up four hits and two runs in the first six batters. However, he settled down after the aforementioned double play and blanked the Pippins on one hit over the next three innings.

Reliever Parker Warner (Stanford) followed and gave up one unearned run over three innings. He earned the pitching decision, as Kalfsbeek was ineligible for the win because he did not go the required five innings.

Kellen Segel (LBCC) finished up, authoring two hitless innings.

Game 2 of the series is set for July 26 and will be Drone Show Night, presented by Pioneer Connect. Make sure to be on hand for the team’s first drone lightshow spectacular; first pitch is at 7:15 p.m.

Troy Cooper of Cal Poly will make his first summer start for the Knights; Yakima Valley’s probable is TBA.

The series finale is set for 5:05 p.m. on July 27. It’s Wilson Motors Night; stop by the dealership at 5^th Street and Buchanan Avenue in Corvallis to get your free general admission ticket.

Zach Johnson is the probable starter for Corvallis. Connor Bartzer of Cal State San Bernardino (0-3, 14.72) is the scheduled starter for the Pippins.

In other Knights news, pitcher Kaleb Wing (2025) has been assigned to the Arizona Complex League Cubs. A Loyola Marymount commit and the son of former Knights pitching coach Ryan Wing, he was selected in the fourth round of the 2025 MLB draft by Chicago

Catcher Anson Aroz (2023) has been assigned to the ACL Dodgers. Los Angeles selected the Oregon product in the 19^th round of the draft.

Box score.