Tuesday, June 24, Yakima, Wash. – The Knights bounced back from a loss at Marion and the next morning’s six-hour bus ride to Yakima by blasting the Pippins 16-5 at Yakima County Stadium.
Corvallis (13-9, 12-9 WCL) had 15 hits and a 10-run sixth inning to win the South Division series opener. The Knights are 8-2 in their last 10 West Coast League games after starting the summer 4-7.
Every starter had at least one hit and one run in the season-high offensive outburst.
Xavier Rios (CSU, pictured above) was 2-for-5 with a run and a bases-clearing double in the 10-run outburst. Aiden Hazen (LBCC) was 3-for-4 with a run and four RBIs and Antonio Castro (Cal Poly) was 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs.
Brock Ketelsen (Stanford) and Thomas Ferroggiaro (Santa Clara) each scored three times. Maddox Riske (USC) and Brooks Avery (LBCC) were both 2-for-5 with two runs; Riske and Ketelsen had RBIs; Ferroggiaro and Gavin Brubaker (NW Nazarene) had two apiece.
Starter J’Shawn Unger (Nebraska) battled through five innings for the win. He gave up four runs on seven hits, but blanked the Pippins on one hit over his final three frames. He struck out four and walked one.
Michael Singleton (George Fox) finished up for a four-inning save. He allowed one run on three hits and had four strikeouts.
The Knights started quickly, using a two-run double by Hazen in the first to go up 2-0. But the Pippins answered back and held a 4-2 lead after four innings.
However, the Knights surged back in front with a three-run fifth inning, the key blow being a two-run single by Ferroggiaro. Hazen added a sacrifice fly.
Corvallis scored 10 times with two outs in the sixth inning to break the game wide-open. Castro and Riske had RBI singles, followed by a bases-loaded walk to Hazen for an 8-4 advantage.
Rios cleared the bases with a three-run double and then scored on an error. After the bases were reloaded, Ketelsen walked to send home and run and Brubaker chased home two more with a double.
Game 2 of the series is set for 6:35 p.m. June 25. Easton Jones of Utah (2-1, 2.59) is the probable for Corvallis, opposed by Akron right-hander Ty Pangborn (1-1, 5.50) for the Pippins.
The series concludes at 6:35 p.m. June 26. Zach Johnson of Linfeld (0-1, 4.84) gets the ball for Corvallis; Hawaii-Hilo lefty Ethan Salscheider will make his season debut for the Pippins.
Corvallis returns home to face the Cowlitz Black Bears on June 27-29. The Knights swept a series between the clubs in Longview back on June 17-19.
The probable starting pitchers, in order, are Jake Fields of Long Beach State (0-1, 2.07), Trey Newmann of Portland (1-0, 6.23) and Nate Stern of TCU (0-0, 1.12).