Farris slams first HR with Knights in loss to Pippins.

Michael Farris (pictured) slammed a two-run homer but Yakima Valley edged the Knights 5-2 at Goss Stadium on Wednesday night to win the WCL series.

A third baseman/DH from UC Riverside, Farris' bomb to left-center in the first inning easily cleared the fence at the 365-foot mark. It also scored Nick Madrigal (Oregon State), aboard via a walk, to give the Knights (6-6 all, 5-6 WCL) an early 2-1 lead.

Farris also singled in the third inning, walked in the eighth, and reached safely three times in four plate appearances. He went 2-for-3 to raise his average to .429 (3-7) in two games since joining the club this week.

The Knights had five hits in the first four innings but did not get another knock the rest of the way. They left the bases loaded in the sixth inning, hit into two double plays, and stranded seven altogether, five in scoring position.

Corvallis starter Ryan Walker (Washington State) pitched into the seventh in his longest outing of the year. He left with the score tied 2-2, but two inherited runners scored and he dropped to 1-1 on the summer. Walker struck out five and walked one.

Veteran starter/reliever Jorge Perez (Grand Canyon) made his season debut and gave up one run in one inning. A third-year Knight who redshirted at GCU in 2015, Perez started the 2012 WCL All-Star Game and won twice in the 2013 playoffs, including a two-hit shutout of Wenatchee in the championship game.

Wednesday's crowd of 980 upped the season attendance to 7,634 in six dates. That puts the Knights 208 behind last year's total through a corresponding number of home openings.

The series concludes at 6:40 p.m. Thursday. Chris Clements of UC Santa Barbara (0-0, 0.00) will start for the Knights, opposed by Andrew Bernstein of Cal Poly (0-0, 0.00) for the Pippins in a matchup of freshmen right-handers making their first appearances of the summer.

It's a Block 15 Thursday and COUNTRY Financial Mini-Bat Night. The first 250 children through the gates get mini-bats compliments of COUNTRY Financial.