Knights Thrill Sellout Crowd With 4-2 Comeback Victory

Friday, August 6, Corvallis, Ore. – The Knights thrilled a sellout Fireworks Night crowd of 3,038 with a comeback 4-2 win over Ridgefield in a West Coast League game at Goss Stadium.

The Knights (34-9 WCL, 16-3 second half, 43-11 overall) scored three times with two outs in the seventh inning to erase a 2-1 deficit. Corvallis has won four WCL games in a row, all in comeback fashion.

Two walks sandwiched around a single loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning. Second baseman Jake Hoskins (Linn-Benton CC) battled back from an 0-2 count and walked to drive in the tying run.

Nick Vogt (UC Santa Barbara) then beat out a grounder to the hole at second base to knock in the go-ahead run for a 3-2 Knights’ lead. An insurance run scored on a throwing error on the play.

It was the third hit of the game for Vogt (pictured, above), who scored the Knights’ first run in the fourth inning. He also stole a base, setting up a run when Nate Nankil (Cal State Fullerton) followed with a sacrifice fly.

Closer Connor Redmond (Montana State-Billings) shut the Raptors down in the ninth for his first save. The Knights veteran fanned the first two Raptors on six pitches, allowed an opposite-field bloop double, and then ended the game with a harmless fly ball to right field.

Reliever Brett Gillis got the win with a scoreless seventh and eighth innings. Coincidentally his brother, Ridgefield starter Brock Gillis, pitched into the seventh and was tagged with the loss. The brothers play at Portland.

Stanford lefty Drew Dowd allowed one earned run in six innings in another quality start but was not involved in the decision. He struck out six and allowed two hits.

Knights’ second baseman Travis Bazzana’s (Oregon State) 19-game hitting streak was snapped by an 0-for-3 night. His last hitless WCL game was also against the Raptors, on July 4 at Ridgefield.

Corvallis improved to 10-0 all-time and 4-0 this season against Ridgefield, which joined the WCL in 2019. The Knights play at Ridgefield on Saturday and Sunday.

The Knights host Bend on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the final regular-season series of the summer. Corvallis opens the South Division playoffs on the road on Aug. 14 against a to-be-determined opponent; Game 2 of the best-of-3 series will be at Goss Stadium on Aug. 15. Game 3, if necessary, would be at Goss on Aug. 16.

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