Wednesday, July 16, Bellingham, Wash. – Xavier Rios (CSUN) celebrated his birthday by doubling, singling, scoring once and driving in a run to lead the Corvallis Knights players in the annual West Coast League All-Star Game at Joe Martin Stadium in Bellingham.
The North Division stars edged the South 5-3, but Rios did his part for his team. He singled in the third inning and then smacked an RBI double and eventually scored in the South’s three-run fifth inning.
Brock Ketelsen (Stanford) was 1-for-2. Mason Riske (USC) went 0-for-2 and Blake Wilson (Washington) went 0-for-2; J’Shawn Unger Iowa Western CC) pitched a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Wilson made a spectacular diving catch on a sinking line drive to center in the bottom of the first and garnered the Guts and Grits Award. Ketelsen was 1-for-2 with a stolen base and was named the game’s top prospect for the South.
Tommy Markey (Port Angeles Lefties/Fordham) delivered a two-run single to cap a four-run bottom of the third and earn the game’s Most Valuable Player accolade. Earlier in the frame, Logan Shepherd (Victoria HarbourCats/Mercer) and Trent Lenihan (Edmonton Riverhawks/British Columbia) drew back-to-back bases loaded walks to put the North on top 2-0 before Markey doubled the home team’s advantage.
The South battled back with three runs in the fifth. Rios had an RBI-double to get the visitors on the board. Andrew Estrella (Ridgefield Raptors/Loyola Marymount) and Cooper Mullens (Springfield Drifters/Michigan) each delivered a sacrifice fly to pull the South within 4-3.
In the bottom of the seventh, the North added an insurance run as Talan Zenk (Nanaimo NightOwls/Everett CC) worked a leadoff walk and scored on a two-out double by Jason Green (Edmonton Riverhawks/Niagara).
The South put the tying runs aboard in the ninth, but Joe Thornton (Wenatchee AppleSox/Gonzaga) struck out Landon Young (Walla Walla Sweets/Washington) to strand the runners and earn the save.
Preston Watkins (Bellingham Bells/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) struck out two in the eighth inning and was credited with the victory. Ty Pangborn (Yakima Valley Pippins/Akron) was charged for all four runs in the third and suffered the loss.
Next up for the Knights (29-11 all, 25-11 WCL, 8-1 second half) is a non-counting exhibition with the Salem Sock Puppets on July 17. It resumes WCL action on July 18-20 with a home series against the Springfield Drifters.
Portland righty Trey Newmann (3-0, 6.12) will start the July 18 game for Corvallis; Unger (4-0, 2.93) goes in the July 19 contest. Both games begin at 6:35 p.m.