Corvallis escapes with 13-inning 6-3 win to take series at Kitsap, Knights drop suspended game 2-1 in 20 innings.
July 18, 2009
Dylan Jones (pictured) earned the win in relief and collected a key hit in the Knights' three-run 13th.
After playing its shortest game of the season last night, the Knights wrapped its longest game of the season on Saturday night, and followed that with another extra-inning affair for a total of 33 innings between the two games.
The first game of the evening featured a resumed game from June 17th. The suspended game (after 17 innings when the lights went out at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds) was won by Kitsap 2-1 as the Jackets scored one run in the bottom of the 20th on a bases loaded one-out single by infielder Andy Bethel.
Steve Kalush of Santa Clara started both games pitching 3 1/3 innings in the resumed game, taking the loss, and 4 scoreless innings in the regularly scheduled game.
Corvallis scored two runs in the fourth of the regularly scheduled game as Jones plated Josh Hogan of UO, who led-off the inning with a double, with a single to center. And Jones scored on a sacrifice fly by Billy Clontz of Western Oregon.
The Knights scored a third run in the eighth on a clutch two-out RBI single by DJ Johnson, a junior-to be at Western Oregon.
Trevor Smith of Linn-Benton CC relieved Kalush and tossed three scoreless innings. The right-hander from Pendleton, Oregon was replaced by Nick Hoover of UC Irvine with what appeared to be a comfortable 3-0 lead.
Hoover posted a zero in the eighth, but ran into trouble in the ninth, loading the bases with no outs.
With the sacks full and the Knights' still up 3-0, Drew Leary of San Diego State was called on by Coach Knight to close the game out. Leary nearly did just that as junior right-hander retired slugger Bucky Aona on a sacrifice fly and the next batter on a lineout, but with two outs and men on second and third Leary gave up a two-run game-tying single to Andrew Mistone of UC Riverside.
Leary wiggled out of two jams in the 10th and 11th and gave way to Dylan Jones in the 12th. Jones retired the Jackets in order in the 12th and then struck out Doug Buser, a senior-to be at Seattle University, with the bases loaded to end Saturday night's marathon.
The Knights loaded the bases in the top of the inning on a lead-off double by the West Coast League's leading hitter Richie Jimenez of Riverside CC, a single to right by Jones and intentional walk of Clontz.
The game-winner scored on a ground ball by John Desmarais of Washington State to first that Aona threw wide to home allowing Jimenez. Catcher Rocky Gale of University of Portland followed with a deep sacrifice fly to center that advanced all three base runners and the Knights scored their final run of the 20th on an infield single by Pat Colwell of San Diego State.
With the victory, the Knights won their ninth WCL series out of 10 series played this summer. Corvallis improved their record to 32-6 and league mark to 23-6.
Corvallis looks to sweep the road series Sunday evening at Lower Columbia College's David Story Field in Longview, Washington. Game time is 5:05 pm.
You can catch Sunday's game on KEJO 1240 AM. Mike Parker brings you the play-by-play.
