Takeuchi homers again, Knights pound Pickles 10-4 to win series

Wednesday, June 12, Portland, Ore. – Third baseman Kevin Takeuchi homered for the second game in a row to spark the Knights to a 10-4 decision over Portland before a Walker Stadium crowd of 2,777.

It was their 12^th consecutive regular-season win over the Pickles; Corvallis has not lost a regular-season game to Portland since July 4, 2022. The Knights (10-1, 9-1 WCL) also increased their South Division lead over Portland (6-3) to 2.5 games heading into the June 13 series finale.

Takeuchi (pictured above) launched a 2-2 pitch over the left field fence in the top of the eighth inning for a three-run homer. It capped a five-run rally that saw Corvallis turn a tenuous 5-4 lead into a comfortable 10-4 advantage.

Takeuchi scored three times and was 2-for-4 to raise his average to .389. The current West Coast League Player of the Week, he now has two homers and seven RBIs in the series. He leads the team and WCL in RBIs (16) and is tied for the league lead in homers (3)

Incoming Portland freshman Quin Dufort was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run, raising his average to .400. Brandon Cabrera (Lewis-Clark State) scored twice and CJ Colyer (Pacific), Tyler Howard (Portland) and Kellen Segel (LBCC) each drove in a run.

Starter Caleb Debban (George Fox) allowed one unearned run in four innings and had four strikeouts but didn’t figure in the decision because he didn’t go the required five innings. A 10-day signee, he has allowed just one earned run and five hits in two starts, with eight strikeouts, and has a 1.00 ERA.

Reliever Bransen Kuehl (Utah) got the final out of the seventh inning with runners at second and third to protect a 5-4 lead, added a scoreless eighth and was credited with the win. Ky Hoskinson (Portland) closed with a scoreless ninth.

The Knights have now won four consecutive road series to open the season. The series finale ends their 11-game swing to Cowlitz, Bend, Yakima Valley and Portland.

Probables for the 7:10 p.m. June 13 Game 3 are Colter McAnelly (2-0, 0.00) of Utah for Corvallis and Dylan Smith (0-0, 0.00) of Northern Colorado for the Pickles.

Corvallis kicks off the home portion of the season on Friday, June 14 when it hosts the Port Angeles Lefties in a 6:35 p.m. contest at Goss Stadium. It is Opening Night Presented by Jessica Smith, Realtor at Town & Country Realty. The first 1,000 fans will receive a magnetic 2024 Knights schedule.

June 15 is Champions Night, starting at 6:35 p.m. The first 500 fans will receive a replica 2023 Knights WCL championship ring.

The June 16 Father’s Day series finale begins at 1:05 p.m. The first 500 fans receive a Knights poster schedule; the first 200 receive a LBCC hat. Nine $1,000 scholarships will also be given away.

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