Knights top Hawks in SEA Day encounter

Thursday, May 21, Corvallis, Ore. – A makeshift roster of Corvallis Knights kicked off the 2026 season with a 7-2 nonleague victory over the Northwest Nighthawks on a beautiful day for baseball at Goss Stadium.

An energetic SEA Day crowd of 2,989 looked on as the Knights (1-0, 0-0 WCL) scored three times in the fifth and seventh innings to hold off the visitors, raising interim manager Dan Segel’s career record to 4-1 in the annual contest.

Right-hander Saelens shut down the Nighthawks over the final 2.1 innings to earn the save. The 2026 Northwest Pitcher of the Year, he got the final out of the seventh to strand runners at second and third, preserving a tenuous 3-2 advantage.

After the Knights expanded their lead by scoring three times in the seventh, Saelens then blanked the Knighthawks on one hit over the final two frames. Overall he struck out five and retired seven of the eight Nighthawks he faced.

Third baseman Zane Garvey (Western Oregon), a 10-day signee, enhanced his bid for a full-time position by going 1-for-3 with two RBIs, a run and a steal. His bases-loaded walk in the fifth inning sent the Knights ahead 2-1 and his RBI single in the seventh made it 4-2.

Shortstop Joey Marasco of George Fox, the other starting full-timer, was 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run and a steal. He reached safely in three of four plate appearances and had seven chances in the field without an error.

Berkley Reents, Marasco’s teammate at GFU, singled home the final run in the eighth to cap a 2-for-3 afternoon. He scored twice, reached base in three of his four at-bats, and was also flawless defensively.

Three other Northwest Conference pitchers preceded Saelens. Starter Matt Sherwood, the 2025 Pitcher of the Year, authored three scoreless, one-hit innings. He got seven ground-ball outs and struck out two.

Luke Schoeffler (Linfield) got the win, allowing an unearned run in two innings. George Fox’s Jack Galanida went 1.2 innings before giving way to Saelens.

The Knights open the West Coast League at Kamloops, B.C., on May 29. The WCL home opener is set for 6:35 p.m. on June 10 against the Marion Berries.