Brotherton dominates Black Bears, Knights finish sweep 9-0

Thursday, June 16, Longview, Wash.  – Right-hander Duke Brotherton (pictured) dominated in his first start and the Knights finished off Cowlitz 9-0 at David Story Field  to sweep their West Coast League series.

The Knights (6-1 all, 6-0 WCL) remained perfect in WCL action with their sixth consecutive road victory to open the 2022 campaign. They have not trailed in any game this season.

A rising redshirt sophomore at Washington State from Mercer Island, Wash., Brotherton allowed one hit, struck out seven and did not walk anyone in a stellar five-inning performance. He threw 43 strikes in 59 pitches and faced just one batter over the five-inning minimum.

The Knights broke up a scoreless tie with a six-run outburst in the fourth inning. Future Oregon Stater Ely Kennel blasted a two-run homer and Spencer Scott (Portland) capped the rally with a two-run single. Devon Dixon (Central Arizona) had an RBI double.

Jonah Advincula (Redlands) drove in a run with an eighth-inning single and Tyler Quinn (Pacific U) added a two-run triple in the ninth to complete the 15-hit onslaught.

Kennel, Scott, Dixon, Brady Lavoie (NC State), Logan Johnstone (Gonzaga), Quinn and Mason Le (CSU Northridge) had two hits each for the Knights. Kennel, Scott and Quinn drove in two runs apiece; Lavoie, Dixon and Quinn all scored twice.

Returnee Kaleb Kantola (Lipscomb) followed Brotherton to the mound and made his 2022 debut with two innings of one-hit relief. Will Clark (Pacific U) and Kaden Segel (LBCC) finished up with scoreless-inning stints.

Corvallis kicks off its home WCL schedule at 6:35 p.m. Friday with the opener of a three-game series against the Yakima Valley Pippins at Goss Stadium. Saturday’s game begins at 7:05 p.m.; Sunday’s finale is set for 5:05 p.m.

The games between the 2021 WCL Championship Series opponents begin a nine-game homestand that also features three contests against Walla Walla (June 21-23) and Bellingham (June 24-26). Corvallis swept a three-game series from the Pippins in Yakima on June 3-5.

In other Knights-related news, alum Brooks Lee of Cal Poly (2019) earned the Brooks Wallace Award on Thursday. He is given annually to the top shortstop in Division I baseball.

A native of San Luis Obispo who played for the Knights before his freshman season, Lee hit .357 in 2022, with 15 homers and 55 RBIs. He was named the Big West Conference Field Player of the Year for the second season in a row.

Lee hit .333 with three homers, 33 RBIs and 36 runs for the 2019 Knights, helping then capture the WCL championship. He was a first-team WCL all-star and was rated as the league’s top pro prospect. The son of longtime Cal Poly head coach/Knights partner Larry Lee, is ranked as the #5 prospect in this year’s MLB draft by MLB.com.

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