Friday, Aug. 8, Bend, Ore. – Bend stunned Corvallis 7-5 in Game 1 of their South Division playoff series before a crowd of 1,642 at Vince Genna Stadium.
The Knights (43-16) now must win two straight from the Elks at Goss Stadium on Aug. 9-10 to keep their season alive. Such a feat would not be unprecedented; Corvallis rallied from a similar 1-0 deficit in 2008 and 2011 to eliminate the Elks and then went on to capture the West Coast League championship both times.
Game 2 is set for 6:35 p.m. Aug. 9 at Goss Stadium. Right-hander Zach Johnson of Lingfield (4-1, 3.47) will start for the Knights. Game 3, if necessary, will be played at 6:05 p.m. Sunday, also at Goss Stadium.
Corvallis jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. One run scored on a throwing error by the pitcher, another on a Maverek Russell (UCLA, pictured above) fielder’s choice and a third on a wild pitch.
However, Bend tied the score with three runs of its own in the first and then went ahead 5-3 with two more in the third inning. An RBI single by Antonio Castro (Cal Poly) got the Knights within 5-4 in the sixth, but the Elks responded with two runs in the home half for a 7-4 advantage.
Russell’s leadoff double and Trey Swygart’s (Portland) two-out single closed the lead to 7-5 in the eighth inning; it was Russell’s third run of the game. However, Corvallis was retired in order in the ninth.
Reliever Mac Zawistoski (Eastern Illinois) was the most effective pitcher, with two shutout innings to keep the Knights within striking distance. He struck out one and allowed one hit.
The Corvallis-Bend victor advances to play either Portland or Marion in the South Division championship game on Aug. 12. Portland edged Marion 4-3 on Aug. 8 to take a 1-0 lead in that series, which resumes on Aug. 9 at Portland.
Portland will host the South Division championship if it wins its series. If not, either Bend or Corvallis will host.
In the North Division playoffs, Edmonton won 6-1 at Victoria and Bellingham edged Wenatchee 7-6 to take 1-0 leads. Game 2 of those series is set for Aug. 9 in Edmonton and Bellingham, respectively. Edmonton would host the North Division championship game if it advances that far.
The WCL championship game is set for Aug. 14. The team with the best overall league record will host.