Sunday, June 7, Portland, Ore. – Portland edged Corvallis 3-1 in the rubber match of their West Coast League series before an announced Walker Stadium crowd of 4,207.
The Knights (6-4, 5-4 WCL) thus ended a season-opening, nine-game road trip on a downward trend. They lost the final two games of the two-country, three states/provinces journey that began back on May 31 in Kamloops, British Columbia, with an intermediate stop in Walla Walla.
Corvallis scored its only run in the ninth inning on a two-out RBI single by incoming Cal Poly freshman Max Medina. He joined the team in Portland on June 5 and had at least one hit and one RBI in every game of the series, hitting .308 (4-13).
The Knights had the winning run at the plate following Medina’s single, but a fly out ended the threat. They left 11 runners on base in total.
Corvallis had its chances but was unable to break through against four Pickles pitchers until the ninth. It left the bases loaded in the eighth and also stranded runners at second and third base in the sixth inning.
Portland jumped on top 2-0 in the second inning but only managed one run the rest of the way. Returnee Max Zawistoski (Eastern Illinois) started the shutdown by allowing one run over two innings, with three strikeouts.
Relievers Luke Schoeffler (Linfield) and Kellen Segel (LBCC) combined the blank the Pickles over the final three innings. Schoeffler went 1.2 innings, Segel 1.1; each had one strikeout.
The Knights have the next two days off. They open their home schedule on June 10 against the Marion Berries, starting at 6:35 p.m. at Goss Stadium.