Froling, Ketelsen shut down Sweets 5-2

Wednesday, July 30, Corvallis, Ore. – The Knights won their fifth consecutive game and wrapped up another series win with a 5-2 victory over Walla Walla before a Goss Stadum crowd of 1,659.

It was also the eighth victory in their last nine starts for the Knights (37-14 all, 33-14 WCL, 16-4 second half). They remained in second place in the South Division’s second-half pennant race, just behind Portland.

Incoming Stanford freshman Brock Ketelsen, taking a night off from center field, instead played the role of closer and earned a save with three scoreless innings. He struck out the final six Sweets and allowed only one hit.

Ketelsen saved the game for lefty Van Froling (UC Santa Barbara, pictured above), who blanked the Sweets on two hits over the middle three innings. He allowed two hits, struck out three, earned the pitching decision and was named Washington Park Advisors Player of the Game.

The Knights took a 2-0 lead in the first on an RBI groundout by Maverek Russell (UCLA) and an RBI single by Cole Katayama-Stall ((Portland). The Sweets scored single runs in the second and third to pull into a 2-2 tie before the Knights erupted for three runs in the fourth.

Corvallis loaded the bases with two outs and then scored three times on three straight bases-loaded walks.

Blake Wilson (Washington) was 2-for-5, scored twice and stole a base. Russell and Katayama-Stall had two RBIs each; Katayama-Stall doubled and singled.

The crowd of 1,659 raised the season attendance to 43,479. That’s an average of 1,610 in 27 openings.

The series concludes on July 31 with Halloween in July night, presented by the Sue Long Realty Group. Dress up in your favorite Halloween costume for some ballpark trick-or-treating, and a costume contest.

The Red Cross Bloodmobile will be stationed outside the stadium to take donations. Portland’s Trey Swygart (0-0, 0.00) is the Knights probable, opposed by Seattle University’s Isaac Hallam (0-4, 6.37).

Corvallis plays at Springfield over the weekend. Scheduled starters at Luke Kalfsbeek (Cal Poly) on Aug. 1, Troy Cooper (Cal Poly) on Aug. 2 and Zach Johnson (Linfield) on Aug. 3.

In other team news, infielder/pitcher Gavin Brubaker (NW Nazarene) will miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. He hit .323 in 26 games, with no homers, 17 RBIs and 10 steals. He was 2-0, 8.30 in four games as a pitcher, with nine strikeouts in 6.1 innings.

First baseman-pitcher Quin Dufort (Portland) will return to the club on July 31 after missing much of the season with illness. He hit .111 with an RBI in three games before leaving the team in early June.

Dufort also played for the Knights in 2024 and hit .298, with no homers and 24 RBIs in 39 games. He was also 0-2, 7.00 in limited action on the mound.

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