Saelens, bullpen star, Knights pluck Berries

Thursday, June 11, Corvallis, Ore.  – Corvallis completed a sweep of its opening homestand by edging Marion 2-0 before a crowd of 1,090 at Goss Stadium.

The Knights (8-4, 7-4 WCL) got outstanding pitching from starter Nick Saelens (Pacific) and relievers Jake Brande (incoming Cal Poly) and Kellen Segel (LBCC). They limited the Berries to four hits, did not issue a walk and combined for 11 strikeouts.

Corvallis also won the June 10 series opener, 3-2. The pitching staff teamed up to hold the Berries scoreless over the final 16 innings of the West Coast League South Division series.

The 2026 Northwest Conference Pitcher of the year for the Boxers, Saelens (pictured, above) went six strong innings, allowed only two hits and earned his first win of the summer. He had eight strikeouts and retired 13 Berries in a row at one point.

He earned Washington Park Advisors Player of the Game plaudits for his performance.

The first batter Brande faced doubled, but he was stranded at third as the right-hander retired the next six batters in his Knights’ debut.

Segel gave up a bloop leadoff single and hit a batter with two outs to bring the winning run to the plate. However, he retired future Oregon Stater Kael Barney on a fly ball to center field for his third save, ending the contest in an efficient 2:25.

Corvallis scored in the second inning on a double by Xavier Rios (CSUN), a single by Zane Garvey (Western Oregon) and an RBI groundout by incoming Stanford freshman Archer Horn.

The Knights laced four consecutive singles in the fifth to double their advantage. The second run crossed on an RBI single by Chanz Flores (LBCC).

DH Trey Swygart (Portland) doubled and singled, his second straight two-hit game. He is 7-for-14 (.500) during his four-game hitting streak. Rios also doubled.

Corvallis moved into third place in the South Division, one-half game behind co-leaders Walla Walla and Ridgefield.

The Knights now head to Bend for a June 12-14 showdown with the longtime-rival Bend Elks. Their next home game is a June 15 rematch with the Berries, starting at 6:35 p.m. at Goss Stadium.

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