Elks storm by Knights 14-9, even up series

Wednesday, July 22, Corvallis, Ore.  – Bend defeated the Knights 14-9 on July 22. The game was originally suspended in the ninth inning with Bend at bat, but it was later determined league rules considered the game complete upon termination due to inclement weather, with final score remaining 14-9.

The Knights (25-20, 21-20 WCL, 8-6 second half) trailed 6-0 after the top of the first; they battled back the rest of the night but could never draw even. They got within 6-4 after the second but the Elks erupted for five runs in the third to build an insurmountable 11-4 advantage.

Rising Oregon sophomore Cooper Markham (pictured, above) was the most effective pitcher for the Knights and earned Washington Park Advisors Player of the Game honors. He threw three scoreless innings, striking out four.

Catcher Dakota Chun (Portland) was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs. Oregon Staters Diego Cruz each doubled, singled and drove in a run; Chun scored twice, Porter once.

Shortstop Ryan Severns (UCSB) had two hits and two runs.

PLU righty Matt Sherwood (2-3, 5.09) gets the ball for Corvallis in the July 23 series finale, opposed by Washington State’s Gavin Derr (0-1, 4.08). Also scheduled for 6:35 p.m., that game concludes the current homestand.

The Knights head to Yakima Valley on July 24-26. The projected starting rotation is lefty Colin Nowaczyk (2-1, 2.79) of Nebraska, incoming Stanford righty Bryce Hill (1-1, 3.86) and Cal Poly righty Arlo Pendleton (1-2, 4,73).

The crowd of 1,329 raised the season attendance to 37,619 in 25 dates, an average of 1,505 per opening.

In other team news, outfielder Will Jesske (Nebraska) suffered a season-ending hand injury while batting on July 21. He hit .333 (4-12) in four games, with three RBIs, after joining the team on July 16.

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