Knights clobber Elks, even up series 1-1

Saturday, Aug. 9, Corvallis, Ore. – One down, three to go.

Corvallis kept its West Coast League championship hopes alive in convincing fashion by stomping Bend 12-3 to even their best-of-3 South Division playoff series at a game apiece.

The rubber match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 10, at Goss Stadium; the starting time was moved back to help alleviate the anticipated very hot conditions.  The winner advances to the South Division championship game at Portland on Aug. 12. Van Froling of UCSB (2-0, 2.25) will start for Corvallis.

The Knights (44-16) wasted little time in showing the Elks and a crowd of 1,043 they meant business and had no intention of being eliminated in two straight games. They parlayed six walks and two errors into six first inning runs and never looked back.

In the first, three bases-loaded walks gave the Knights a quick 3-0 advantage. Antonio Castro (Cal Poly) then blasted a two-run double to the right-field gap to blow the game completely open.

Corvallis added single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings, two more in the sixth and a final tally in the eighth to dash any comeback hopes by the Elks, who won 7-5 in Bend on Aug. 8 in the series opener.

Rallying at home from a 1-0 hole to capture the series would not be unprecedented for Corvallis. It erased similar deficits to win the divisional finals against the Elks in 2008 and 2011, against Yakima Valley in 2017, 2021 and 2022, and against Cowlitz in 2023.

The Knights then went on to capture the WCL crown all six times.

Castro was the only starter without a run, but he drove in three. Catcher Ian Fernandez (UCSB) finished 3-for-4 with a triple, double, single, RBI and two runs.

Left fielder Brooks Avery (Portland) was 2-for-3 with two runs, an RBI and four steals. Center fielder Brock Ketelsen (Stanford) tripled, scored twice and drove in a run.

Corvallis starter Zach Johnson (CSUN, pictured above) breezed through four hitless innings, facing the minimum of 12 batters. The only Elk to reach base was picked off first base to end the first inning.

Johnson struck out six and threw 33 strikes in 54 pitches. He was pulled early, enabling him to pitch again in the postseason, if necessary. He was named the Washington Park Advisors Player of the Game.

Incoming Oregon State freshman Tyler Bellerose added three innings of two-hit relief, allowing one run and striking out two. He earned the decision.

Elsewhere in the playoffs, Portland thumped Marion 12-0 in Portland to sweep that series; the Pickles also won 4-3 in Salem on Aug. 8. Portland will host the South Division championship because it won the first-half title.

In the North Division playoffs, Victoria won 3-1 at Edmonton to even that series 1-1; the rubber game is Aug. 10.  Wenatchee edged host Bellingham 7-6 in 13 innings to even up that series as well. Both game 3s will be played on Aug. 10.

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.

The Knights have drawn 50,788 fans in 32 openings this summer, with at least one game remaining. That’s an average of 1,585; they are 546 fans ahead of last season’s attendance through a similar number of home dates.

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