Knights bats heat up at Springfield, Corvallis tops Drifters 9-4

Sunday, July 7, Springfield, Ore. – On a day where temps in the Willamette Valley eclipsed 100 degrees, Corvallis came out swinging sizzling bats scoring five runs in the first and 9 runs in total.

It was the Knights opening game in the second half, a 9-4 win that improved the defending champs overall WCL record to 23-5. West Coast League RBI leader Kevin Takeuchi (USC) got things rolling with a run-scoring double in the opening frame. He would later add two more doubles and increase his league-leading RBI total to 28.

Corvallis banged out 14 hits for the game with six Knights recording multi-hit games including Takeuchi (pictured) who went 3-for-5 and five Knights with two hits apiece: Ty Yukumoto (Pacific), Blake Wilson (Washington), Kasen Khansarinia (UCLA), Quin Dufort (Portland) and Kellen Segel (Linn-Benton CC). Dufort delivered a RBI single in the first and run-scoring triple in  fifth. Khansarinia collected a RBI single in the first and Segel and Wilson both delivered RBI singles in the 8th.

Knights starter Laif Palmer (Oregon State) turned in a quality start allowing only two runs, both unearned, over four innings. Reliever Caleb Debban (George Fox) tossed two scoreless innings. In his 2024 debut, Sean Wiese (Arizona Christian) blanked the Drifters in the 7th. Lucas Casey blanked Springfield for an inning while striking out three in the eighth. Cohen Gomez (Stanford) finished things in the 9th, allowing two runs.

Debban was credited with the win.

Corvallis has two off days before resuming league play on Wednesday, July 10 at Linn-Benton CC’s Dick McClain Field. The Knights become the Albany Rollers for one night and welcome division rival Yakima Valley. First pitch is set for 5 pm. Tickets are $10.

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