Thursday, June 27, Corvallis, Ore. – Somone had to pay for the Knights being held to only two hits in a doubleheader loss the previous night.
That unfortunate victim was Cowlitz.
Corvallis rebounded from its offensive malaise by scoring seven times in the first two innings of an eventual 10-3 rout of the Black Bears before a crowd of 1,194 at Goss Stadium.
Left fielder Brandon Cabrera (Lewis-Clark State), who left the June 25 game after being hit in the face by a pitch, returned in fine form after missing one start to earn Washington Park Advisors Player of the Game honors. He singled, doubled and drove in three runs, pacing a 10-hit attack.
Corvallis (20-5, 19-5 WCL) moved one game closer to clinching the first half South Division championship and an automatic berth in the postseason, with home-field advantage in the opening round.
The Knights parlayed three hits and two errors into four first-inning runs to assume a lead it would not surrender. Luke Lavin’s (Stanford) two-run single was the key blow.
Consecutive RBI doubles by Kasen Khansarinia (UCLA) and Kevin Takeuchi (USC) keyed a three-run second inning. Takeuchi later doubled and scored on Cabrara’s single in the fourth inning.
Cabrera came within a foot of the Knights’ first Goss Stadium home run of the season in the sixth inning. However, his blast to the left-center gap bounced off the top of the fence instead and he settled for a two-run double that concluded the scoring.
Taceuchi had two doubles, two runs and an RBI. Blake Wilson (Washington) singled twice, scored twice and stole a base; Khansarinia scored three times, Lavin twice.
Starter James DeCremer (Oregon State, pictured above) went 3.2 innings in his second start and threw 35 strikes in 47 pitches. He fanned five and allowed one run on three hit, but was not eligible for the win because he did not go five innings.
Garren Rizzo (USC) inherited a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the sixth. After walking the first batter he faced to score a run, he got the third out and added two more scoreless innings. He stuck out two and was credited with the win.
The Knights will play nonleague home games against the Cascade Collegiate League Showcase Team on June 28 and 29. The Showcase Team features the top players from the CCL and is managed by Ben Krueger, the head coach at Yakima Valley CC.
Established in 2018, the CCL is comprised of players from regional NCAA, NAIA and NWAC schools. The four teams play on weekends in June and July at Wheeler Field in Centralia, Wash.
June 28 is Tee-shirt Giveaway Night sponsored by Corvallis Custom. The first 250 fans will receive a free Knights tee-shirt.
June 29 is Baseball Giveaway Night, sponsored by Heresco Chiropractic. The first 250 fans receive a free baseball.
The Knights then host the Albany Mid-Valley Southpaws American Legion team on June 30, sponsored by Oregon AAA.