Hamilton flirts with cycle in Knights' 9-4 victory at Bend

Second baseman Austin Hamilton tripled, double, singled and scored three times in the comeback triumph.

Catcher Dane Lund had three hits, two runs and an RBI, Connor Hofmann and Marc Gallegos had two hits each and Gallegos and Nick Torres had two RBIs apiece as the Knights extended their five-game winning streak and ended Bend's by handing the Elks their first loss at Vince Genna Stadium.

The Knights thus moved into first place in the West Division, percentage points ahead of the Elks, who have played four fewer league games. Corvallis (10-4) is at .714; the Elks (7-3) are at .700.

Reliever Devon Barker pitched 3.1 scoreless innings for the victory. He had three strikeouts, no walks, and allowed just one hit.

The Knights scored six times in the seventh to erase a 4-2 deficit. A two-run single by Torres and an RBI single by Gallegos were key hits in a rally aided by two walks and two Bend errors.

Bend got an unearned run in the first but the Knights tied the game in the third on a double by Hamilton, a sacrifice and Lund's infield single. Bend scored another unearned run in the fourth but the Knights tied it again in the sixth on a Gallegos safety squeeze that scored Lund.

Bend scored twice in the last of the sixth to go ahead again 4-2 before the Knights decisive seventh inning clinched the win.

Knights' starter A.J. Burke had three strikeouts and allowed six hits and two unearned runs in five innings. He was not involved in the decision.

The series continues at Bend at 5:05 p.m. Sunday. The projected starters are Trevor Frank (0-0, 0.00) of UC Riverside for the Knights and Clay Bauer (0-1, 2.79) of the College of San Mateo for the Elks.

They conclude the series in Corvallis at 6:40 p.m. Monday. Oregon State lefty Carlos Rodriguez (0-0, 0.00) is the projected starter for the Knights; Bend�s is undetermined.