Knights beach Drifters 4-1, draw closer in South Division race

Wednesday, June 28, Springfield, Ore.  – Corvallis drew even with Ridgefield in the loss column in the South Division’s first-half pennant race by defeating Springfield 4-1 at the Hamlin Sports Complex.

The Knights (16-7, 13-7 WCL) have played two fewer West Coast League games than the Raptors, so they are one game behind in the three-team race for the first-half crown and resulting automatic berth in the WCL playoffs. Portland (11-6) is 1.5 games back. Ridgefield lost to Bend, snapping its 11-game win streak, while the Pickles defeated Kamloops.

Corvallis had only two hits against the Drifters but still won the series and captured its fourth win in a row overall. Corvallis claimed Wednesday’s series opener at Goss Stadium 3-2 by scoring twice in the last of the ninth.

Jakob Wright (Cal Poly, pictured above) made his 2023 starting debut, escaped a third-and-first no-outs jam in the fourth and blanked the Drifters on three hits over five innings. He had three strikeouts in just his second appearance of the season.

Luke Kovach (Cal Poly) followed and allowed one hit in two scoreless innings. Neil Feist (Cal State Northridge) allowed a run in the ninth but struck out three in a two-inning stint.

Scoreless through four innings, Ty Yukumoto (Pacific) scored the Knights’ first run in the fifth on an errant pick-off throw. The Knights took advantage of three walks, a hit batsman and an error to score three key insurance runs in the eighth inning.

Phoenix Call (UCLA) had the Knights only RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the eighth. Ng and Blake Avila (Grand Canyon), who singled leading off the eighth, had the only hits for Corvallis.

The two teams return to Goss Stadium for the finale at 6:35 p.m. Thursday. Texas A&M’s Max Debiec (0-0, 0.84) goes for Corvallis, versus Tanner Douglas of Tacoma CC (0-0, 0.00).

Corvallis closes out an extended home stand with a three-game series with Cowlitz this Friday-Sunday.

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