Tuesday, June 2, Walla Walla, Wash. – Corvallis fell 5-3 to Walla Walla before 1,821 fans on opening night at Borleske Stadium for its first setback of the young West Coast League season.
Corvallis (4-1 all, 3-1 WCL) had five doubles and plenty of other baserunners in the see-saw battle. However, it left 11 runners on base and went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Catcher Carter Stewart (Portland) was 2-for-4 with a run and second baseman Berkley Reents (George Fox) was 2-for-4. Center fielder Kellen Segel (LBCC, pictured above) was 1-for-4 with a run, a double and two stolen bases.
DH Colton Schmokel (Concordia-Nebraska) and left fielder Jackson Fera (LBCC) both doubled and drove in a run. First baseman Chanz Flores (LBCC) had the final two-bagger and also scored once.
The Sweets took a 1-0 lead in the first inning by touching Knights’ starter Morgan Codron (Portland) for an unearned run. Corvallis answered by using Fera’s RBI double to post an unearned run of its own in the fourth.
Segel doubled, stole third and scored on a wild pitch to give the Knights a temporary 2-1 edge in the fifth. The Sweets scored a two-out run in the home half to re-knot the game at 2-2.
Schmokel’s RBI double put the Knights back on top 3-2 in the sixth. But the Sweets responded in the home half with two doubles, a single and a walk for a three-spot and a 5-3 advantage.
Corvallis loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh but did not score, as three straight batters took called third strikes on borderline pitches. Corvallis also stranded a runner at third in the eighth and another at second in the ninth.
Making his first appearance with the Knights since the 2023 season, Codron had an impressive 2026 debut. He allowed two hits, no earned runs and had seven strikeouts with only one walk over three innings.
Righty relievers Dayne Castillo (LBCC) and Luke Schoeffler (Linfield) combined to shut the Sweets down over the final 2.2 innings, keeping the Knights within striking distance. Castillo fanned two in 1.2 innings; Schoeffler pitched a hitless eighth.
Game 2 of the series is set for 6:35 p.m. June 3; it concludes at 6:35 p.m. on June 3. The Knights wrap up their season-opening nine-game road trip at Portland on June 5-7.
Their WCL home opener is set for June 10 against the Marion Berries, starting at 6:35 p.m. at Goss Stadium.