Tuesday, August 3, Corvallis, Ore. – The Knights used a strong pitching performance to handcuff Yakima Valley 7-1 in the opener of a three-game West Coast League series before a Goss Stadium crowd of 1,411.
Starter Ty Uber (Stanford) and relievers Jake Vargas (Cal State Fullerton) and Brett Gillis (Portland) combined on a 3-hitter. Uber struck out seven, Vargas two, and Gillis four in a dominating performance.
The Knights (31-9 WCL, 13-3 second half, 40-11 overall) trailed 1-0 after Uber started the game with two walks and a single. However, he escaped the jam allowing only one run, and then gave up just one more hit over the next four innings.
Vargas pitched two scoreless frames and Gillis was touched for one hit in the final two. The win over the North Division first-half champion Pippins (25-15 WCL) evened the series at 2-2; they took 2 of 3 at Yakima Valley on June 4-6 in the opening series of the 2021 season.
“My first outing against Yakima did not go too well so I came in with a good mindset, so I was just attacking the hitters, and it panned out well,” Vargas (pictured, above) said. “That was our game plan going in, just to attack.”
Kyler Stancato (Washington State), Travis Bazzana (Oregon State), Nick Vogt (UC Santa Barbara) and Spencer Scott (Portland) all had two hits to pace a 14-hit attack. Jake Hoskins’ (Linn-Benton CC) RBI double in the eighth was the Knights lone extra-base hit.
Bazzana extended his hitting streak to 17 games against WCL opponents. He has 14 multi-hit games, is batting .533 (40-75) during the streak, and has raised his average 81 points to a WCL-best .449 over that span. His last hitless game was July 4 at Ridgefield.
The series continues at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday. Gonzaga righty Nathan DeSchryver (1-1, 2.40) is the probable for Corvallis; Western Oregon righty Seth Kuykendall (3-2, 2.77) goes for the Pippins.
Washington State right-hander Grant Taylor (5-2, 3.29) is the probable starter for the Knights in Thursday’s 6:35 p.m. finale, opposed by Nevada righty Peyton Stumbo (1-1, 5.47).
The home stand concludes at 7:05 p.m. Friday with a Fireworks Night game with the Ridgefield Raptors. The Knights play at Ridgefield on Saturday and Sunday.