Staples has four hits but Knights lose 11-5 at Bend.

Center fielder Jes Staples (pictured) had four hits, an RBI, a walk and reached safely in all five plate appearances but Corvallis lost 11-5 at Bend on Wednesday night.

A senior-to-be at Bellarmine, Staples raised his average 69 points to .289 with his four-hit performance.

It was the fifth straight loss, the seventh loss in their last eight games and the seventh consecutive loss to the Elks for the Knights (7-11 all, 6-11 WCL). The Elks won the final two games of a June 3-5 series against the Knights in Bend, swept a 3-game series in Corvallis this past weekend, and has won the first two games of the current series.

Bend (14-3) extended its winning streak to seven games in a row and stretched its South Division lead over Corvallis to eight games.

Right fielder Emilio Alcantar (Linn-Benton) singled and drove in two runs and second baseman Cole Kreuter (UC Irvine) singled and drove in a run.

The series concludes at 6:35 p.m. Thursday at Vince Genna Stadium in Bend. Righty Slater Lee of Cal Poly (0-0, 3.68) is the projected starter for Corvallis.

The Knights head to Medford on Friday for a weekend series with the Rogues at Harry & David Field. Their next home game is a Monday exhibition against the U-19 Colts, a touring Australian all-star team.