Pickles defeat Knights 7-6, even up series 1-1

Tuesday, July 8, Portland, Ore.  – The Knights had the tying run at second base in the ninth inning but couldn’t get it home in a 7-6 setback to Portland in Game 2 of their West Coast League series at Walker Stadium.

Center fielder Max Medina (incoming Cal Poly) singled with one out and stole second. But a strikeout and a groundout ended the game and enabled Portland to even the series 1-1.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Knights (20-15, 17-15 WCL, 4-1 second half). It also guaranteed Portland a winning record in the nine-game season series, which it leads 5-3.

Ryan Severns (UCSB) doubled twice, singled and scored twice for Corvallis. Ian Draper (Portland, pictured above) and Trey Swygart (Portland) each blasted no-doubt, two-run homers.

Corvallis took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a double by Severns and Carter Stewart’s (Portland) RBI single. The Pickles tied the game in the home half and went ahead 2-1 in the third.

Swygart was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth to draw the Knights even. However, the Pickles scored once in the bottom half to move back ahead 3-2.

Portland capitalized on some control issues to score twice in the fifth, stretching their cushion to 5-2. But Draper crushed his two-run homer, his second of the summer, in the sixth to draw the Knight within 5-4.

Portland responded again, scoring twice in the home half to restore a 3-run lead at 7-4. However, Swygart’s 377-foot, two-run bomb to right field got the Knights within 7-6 in the eighth.

The series concludes at 7:15 p.m. July 9. Matthew Sherwood of PLU (1-3, 5.50) and Zach Fetchel of Rice (2-0, 3.00) are the probable starters.

Corvallis then plays a three-game series at Springfield, starting on July 10. Their next home game is a July 14 rematch with Gunderson Baseball; they edged Gunderson 2-1 at Goss on June 24.

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