Knights shut out WCL Toros 3-0.

Veteran reliever Mitch Patito (pictured) threw two scorless innings in his first game in three weeks to help Corvallis whitewash the Toros before 1,339 fans on Cap Night.

Starter Brandon Jackson and relievers AJ Burke and Greg Mahle also shut down the Toros for the Knights' fifth shutout this summer, and their second in a row against WCL Portland opposition. They blanked the Portland Stars 4-0 last Sunday.

A third-year Knight from UC Riverside, Patito had not pitched since July 6 and had thrown only five total innings in three appearances before Friday. He allowed two hits, but both runers were erased on double plays and he had one strikeout.

"It's really nice to get back and it feels good to be able to contribute again," said Patito, an All-WCL performer in 2010 and a key member of last year's WCL champions. "My arm is a lot better than it was at the beginning of the (summer), but it still has been tired.

"Without being able to play, I've felt more like a coach than a player."

Jackson and reliever Burke of Western Oregon went three innings apiece. Patito threw the seventh and eighth and Mahle of UCSB handled the ninth for the save.

The Knights strung four consecutive two-out singles in the second to take what proved to be an insurmountable 2-0 lead. Chris Rabago and Matt Nylen had the RBIs.

A two-out single by Alex Michaels of Cal Poly drove in Nylen with the Knights final run in the fifth. Nylen and Nate Roberts of Seattle University had two hits each for Corvallis (24-20 WCL, 28-20), which left nine runners on base.

The Knights also had a good night elsewhere in the WCL. Klamath Falls and Bend, their closest two pursuers in the West Division pennant race, each lost road games and fell another half-game behind the first-place Knights. Corvallis leads Klamath Falls by 2.5 games and Bend by 3.5 games.

The Knights host the Toros again at 6:40 tonight. It's Brent Morel Bobblehead Night; the first 750 fans get a bobblehead of the Chicago White Sox third baseman, the first Corvallis Knight to play in the majors. Lefty Carlos Rodriguez (2-1, 3.77) is the Knights� projected starter.

The Knights resume WCL action on Monday in the opener of a three-game series with the Kitsap BlueJackets. Their next home league games are Aug. 2-4 vs. Cowlitz.