Knights tip NW Star 8-1 before sellout crowd in SEA Day opener

Thursday, May 23, Corvallis, Ore. – The Corvallis Knights opened their 17^th season at Goss Stadium by topping the Northwest Star Nighthawks 8-1 before a festive Science, Engineering and Art Day crowd of 3,317 at Goss Stadium.

A patchwork lineup of regulars and 10-day signees combined for six hits in an efficient offensive effort. Brandon Cabrera (Lewis-Clark State) doubled, singled, drove in three and scored twice to pace Corvallis.

Jeremy Sangalang (George Fox) doubled, scored three times and had an RBI and returnee Ty Yukumoto (Pacific) scored twice.

Corvallis jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the home first. Sangalang and returnee Yukumoto walked and then cruised home on Cabrera’s booming double to the left-field gap.

Cabrera then scored when a grounder by CJ Colyer (Pacific), the Northwest Conference’s Player of the Year, eluded the third baseman and rolled into the left-field corner for a two-base error.

Yukumoto scored again to make it 4-0 in the third on a walk, a steal, and two groundouts, the second an RBI bouncer to third by catcher Cole Snidow (Phoenix College).

Cabrera legged out a two-out infield grounder to shortstop to drive in this third run of the day in the seventh inning to give the Knights a 5-1 advantage. A balk moved him to second and he scored on Coyler’s RBI single for a 6-1 margin.

The Knights added two final runs in the eighth on an RBI infield single by third-year Knight Nathan Marshall (Lane CC) and Sangalang’s run-scoring double.

George Fox lefty Caleb Debban, a 10-day signee, started for Corvallis and allowed no runs and two hits over 3.1 innings. He struck out six and walked two.

Ky Hoskinson (Portland) followed with three innings of two-hit relief to pick-up the win. He allowed one run and struck out two before giving way to Dom Tatone (Umpqua CC) with one out in the seventh.

Tatone finished the seventh and got the first out in the eighth before handing the ball to Gaje Nicholson (South Albany High School), who finished the inning strong with a strikeout and groundout. Marshall closed it out with a scoreless ninth.

The Knights are now idle until their May 31 West Coast League opener against the Cowlitz Black Bears at David Story Field in Longview, Wash. The three-game series kicks off a season-opening 12-game road trip to Cowlitz, Bend, Yakima Valley and Portland.

Corvallis opens the home portion of its season on June 14 when they host the Port Angeles Lefties at Goss Stadium.

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