Berries clip Knights on controversial slam

Saturday, June 14, Corvallis, Ore. – The Marion Berries scored four times in the 10^th inning on a controversial grand slam to edge the Knights 9-5, snapping their three-game winning streak.

With two out in the top of the 10^th, Marion first baseman Jake Dodge blasted a high line drive directly down the right-field line, on a 3-2 pitch with two outs. Corvallis manager Brooke Knight argued the ball was foul, but the umpires called it fair to give the Berries the runs they needed for their first win over the Knights in the franchise’s young history.

Corvallis (5-6 all, 4-6 WCL) tied the game in the ninth with a dramatic rally to erase a 5-3 deficit. Maddox Riske (USC, pictured above) and Gavin Brubaker (NW Nazarene) hit game-tying singles.

The Knights had the bases loaded with one out, but could not push across the winning run.

Riske was 4-for-4 with a double, an RBI, two runs and a walk. He reached base safely in all five plate appearances to earn Washington Park Advisors Player of the Game honors. He raised his average from .22 to .482 and is 6-for-8 vs, the Berries.

Brubaker was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two steals. He and Riske, batting 1-2 I n the lineup, reached safely in 8 of 10 combined plate appearances.

Lefty Luke Kalfsbeek (Cal Poly) made his season debut and pitched two scoreless innings, retiring the final six batters he faced after allowing a single to the first hitter he faced.

The June 15 Father’s Day finale will feature a 5:05 p.m. doubleheader against the Berries, presented by Les Schwab Tire Center. Fans can play catch on the field and kids can run the bases following the second game; both will be seven innings in length.

Corvallis’s projected starters are Jake Fields (0-1, 3.60) of Long Beach State and Sam Coffman (0-1, 2.57) of Umpqua CC. The Berries will counter with Chase Garland (0-0, 0.00) of Oregon and Wes Plenert (0-1, 3.17) of George Fox.

The homestand concludes on June 16 with a rematch against Springfield. The game is presented by the Linn-Benton Community College Foundation; LBCC students will be admitted free of charge and a $1,000 scholarship will be awarded every inning.

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