Drifters quiet Knights 1-0 to capture series

Saturday, July 19, Corvallis, Ore. – Poor clutch hitting doomed the Knights for the second game in a row in a 1-0 loss to Springfield before a Goss Stadium crowd of 1,977 on Travis Bazzana Bobblehead Night.

Corvallis was 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position. It left runners on second and third in the third, sixth and eighth innings, a runner at third in the ninth, and left nine runners on overall.

The Knights stranded 17 baserunners in losing the series opener 7-6 on July 18. Springfield thus won a series over the Knights (29-13 all, 25-13 WCL, 8-3 second half) for the first time in the franchise’s three-year history.

J’Shawn Unger (Iowa Western CC, pictured above) struck out seven and allowed three hits in a scoreless, four-inning start, and earned Washington Park Advisors Player of the Game honors.

Troy Cooper (Cal Poly) was touched for one hit and an unearned run in three innings. Dom Tatone (Western Oregon) added two scoreless innings to keep the Knights in the game until the end.

The series concludes at 5:05 p.m. on July 20. Zach Johnson of Linfield (2-1, 3.86) is the July 20 probable for Corvallis; Springfield’s starter is TBA.

July 20 is Pat Casey Night, recognizing the longtime OSU national-champion baseball coach. The first 250 fans will receive Goss Stadium replicas, courtesy of the OSU Dugout Club. First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m.

The Knights are idle on July 21. They then hit the road for a three-game series with the Naniamo NightOwls in British Columbia on July 22-25. It will be the first games between the teams since the Nighthawks joined the WCL in 2022.

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