Monday, Aug. 3, Ridgefield, Wash. – Reliever Luke Schoeffler (above, right) saved the Knights’ bacon in an 8-5 win over Ridgefield in the opener of a crucial South Division series at the Ridgefield Athletic Complex.
The rising sophomore at Linfield entered the game with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth, with the Knights reeling from three straight walks and a hit batter that scored one run and brought the winning run to the plate.
Facing Ridgefield’s No. 4 and No. 5 hitters, Schoeffler induced a popup for the second out. He then got a four-pitch strikeout to end the game, earning his second save of the summer.
The Knights (34-22, 30-22 WCL, 17-8 second half) remained in first place in the second-half South Division pennant race. They lead Walla Walla, which won 7-4 at Marion, by one game with two games remaining.
The second-half champion earns the No. 2 seed and home-field advantage in the opening round of the South Division playoffs, which begin on Aug. 7. Walla Walla holds the tiebreaker over the Knights so Corvallis must win the title outright to earn the No. 2 seed; otherwise, they will be the No. 3 seed.
Corvallis won for the ninth time in its last 11 games. Center fielder Max Medina (pictured above, center) went 2-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the offense.
Corvallis jumped to a 3-0 lead in the third inning, the rally being ignited by Josh Myers (Alan Hancock) leadoff homer. Medina had an RBI triple and Ethan Porter (Oregon State) added a sacrifice fly.
The Knights made it 6-1 with another three-run outburst in the top of the seventh. The first run scored on an error before Medina singled home two more.
Future Feather River JC righty Jinki Tomita (pictured above, left) pitched into the seventh in his first start. He was pulled after giving up a leadoff single and finished his night with two runs allowed on three hits through six innings.
Later in the inning Cooper Markham (Oregon) inherited a bases-loaded, no-out situation with the Knights leading 6-2. Two runs scored on a force out and an error, but he retired the side without further damage holding a 6-4 advantage.
Corvallis responded with two runs in the eighth on a bases-loaded walk to pinch-hitter Joey Marasco (George Fox), and a wild pitch. That restored a comfortable 8-4 cushion and provided what turned out to be important insurance runs.
The series resumes at 6:35 p.m. on Aug. 4. PLU right-hander Matt Sherwood (2-3, 4.80) and Harrison Hoffarth of Seattle U. are the scheduled starters for Corvallis and Ridgefield, respectively.
The regular season concludes at 6:35 p.m. Aug. 5. Corvallis starter is TBA, opposed by Tyler Walton (1-1, 10.35) of UCSB for Ridgefield.
The postseason playoffs, involving the top four teams from the North and South divisions, begin on Aug. 7 with the best-of-3 divisional round. The location of Corvallis’s first playoff game hasn’t been determined.