Knights win 10-6, finish series, season sweep of Springfield

Thursday, July 13, Springfield, Ore.  – Corvallis built a big lead and then held on to defeat Springfield 10-6 in a West Coast League game at the Hamlin Sports Complex.

The Knights (24-12, 21-12 WCL, 4-2 second half) scored eight times in their first three at-bats to build an 8-3 advantage. But they did not score again until the ninth inning and Springfield slowly chipped away at the margin to draw within 8-6.

However, recent addition Kaden Segel (Portland, pictured above) escaped an inherited two-on, one-out jam in the seventh by allowing only one run, getting the final two outs with the bases loaded. He then blanked the Drifters over the final two innings for the save. He struck out three in his second appearance since joining the club on July 7; he has not allowed a run in 4.2 innings.

The victory gave the Knights a series sweep; they prevailed 10-0 at Springfield on Tuesday night and 3-2 in 10 innings in Corvallis on Wednesday night. They were 6-0 vs. the Drifters this summer and have now won nine consecutive games against Springfield over the past two seasons.

Blake Avila (Grand Canyon) and Ethan Hott (Stanford) each had two hits, two runs and an RBI. Ethan Hedges (USC) had two hits and an RBI and Ty Yukumoto (Pacific) had two hits and scored twice.

Tyler Quinn (Utah) ripped a pinch-hit, RBI double and then subsequently scored on a wild pitch to account for two big insurance runs in the ninth inning. His was the only extra-base hit for the Knights.

The Knights open a seven-game homestand on Friday with a 6:35 p.m. series-opener against the Portland Pickles. Saturday’s game is also at 6:35 p.m.; Sunday’s finale is set for 1:05 p.m. Projected starting pitchers have not been announced.

The Redmond Dudes of the Pacific International League visit on Monday for a 6:35 p.m. nonleague game. Kelowna closes the homestand on Tuesday-Thursday.

Box score