Knights extend win streak to 12 with dramatic 3-2 victory over Bells.

Caleb Whalen (pictured) of Portland drove a walk-off RBI single into left field with two outs in the ninth to give Corvallis the thrilling come from behind win.

"I was just waiting for a good pitch," said Whalen, who now has a team-high 16 RBIs. "They gave me the 3-1 count to set up the fastball; he (reliever Keith Zuniga) gave me a fastball and I just hammered it."

Whalen finished with two hits; he also scored the tying run in the seventh on a two-out wild pitch. His single drove in center fielder Connor Hofmann of Oregon, who drilled a two-out triple to the gap in right-center to keep the inning alive.

"I was just trying to get on base and get into scoring position," said Hofmann, who also contributed defensively with a fine running catch at the warning track to end the eighth inning.

It was the 12th straight win overall for the Knights (16-4) and their franchise-record 11th in a row in West Coast League play. They remained 5.5 games ahead of Bend in first place in the West Division, as the Elks kept pace by winning 1-0 at Walla Walla.

Whalen's hit ended a great pitching duel that took just 2:01 to complete. Knights' starter Jorge Perez of Grand Canyon University allowed two runs on five hits and reliever Devin Barker of Centralia College went two scoreless innings for the win.

Bellingham lefty Andrew Olson stymied the Knights on five hits through six innings and left with a 2-0 lead on a sixth-inning homer by Jarel Lewis, the No. 2 hitter in the WCL.

But the Knights scored twice in the seventh off two relievers on a two-out RBI double by Nick Torres of Cal Poly and the aforementioned wild pitch that plated Whalen. He was hit by a pitch with two outs, moved to third on the double and then scored when Zuniga's first offering bounced off catcher Joe Winterburn's outstretched glove.

Torres had two singles, a double and an RBI and reached safely in three of four at-bats. He raised his average 47 points to .333 with the 3-for-4 night.

The series resumes at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday at Goss Stadium. AJ Burke (1-1, 2.08) of Western Oregon is the Knights� projected starter; Bellingham will go with Sean Hartman of Washington State (1-1, 3.86).

The teams conclude the series at 6:40 p.m. on Thursday.