Knights tag Elks 10-2 before a crowd of 1,505 at Goss Stadium.
August 7, 2009
Adam Melker (pictured) of Cal Poly went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI to lead the playoff-bound Knights to their 36th league victory of the season.
In a playoff preview, Corvallis scored 10 runs on 9 hits to take game one of the final regular season series of the summer.
The Knights offense was led by Adam Melker as the senior-to be doubled twice and collected two RBI.
"I'm feeling good," Melker said. "I'm seeing the ball well, although in my first three at-bats I didn't see the ball good. In my last two I saw the ball pretty well."
Bend jumped on top in the first as Melker's college teammate Bobby Crocker blasted a two-run homer to center.
"It wasn't a very good pitch," Kalush said. "I fell behind him, threw him a fastball and to his credit he put a good swing on it. I just made a bad pitch with 2-0."
Corvallis answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning.
San Diego State centerfielder Pat Colwell led off the frame with a walk and moved to second on a bunt single by Oregon's Josh Hogan. Then UNLV-bound third baseman Richie Jimenez doubled to left scoring Colwell. Hogan scored on a ground out by Melker and Jimenez scored on Dylan Jones' bloop single to left.
Kalush settled down and tossed five innings to earn the win.
Trevor Smith of Linn-Benton CC replaced Kalush and threw two scoreless innings. Eric LeBaron of San Jose State and Bryan Dalton of Columbia Basin College shutdown the Elks in the eighth and ninth, respectively.
"It was great to get that spark of offense after I gave up two in the first," Kalush said. "We came back and answered with three. Our guys did a good job of playing defense behind me and our bullpen did a great job of throwing up zeros."
In the sixth, Corvallis tallied three more runs as with two outs DJ Gentile of Cal Poly walked, DJ Johnson of Mt. Hood CC followed with a single to right, then catcher Andrew Susac walked to load the bases. With the sacks juiced, shortstop Taylor Hunter of George Fox was hit, Colwell walked and Hogan walked to plate three runs without putting the ball in play.
The Knights plated two more runs in the seventh. Melker led-off with a double to right-center. Pinch-hitter Taylor Ard of Mt. Hood CC reached on an error advancing Melker to third. With one out, Johnson doubled to left-center scoring Melker and Susac plated Ard with a sacrifice fly.
Corvallis scored runs nine and ten in the eighth inning when with two outs Jimenez doubled to left, Melker doubled to right-center scoring Jimenez and Brent Warren of Oregon State plated Melker with a single to left-center.
"It's good with only a few games left in the season," Melker said. "You want to be playing your best baseball going into the playoffs."
Jimenez went 2-for-4 with two doubles and Johnson went 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and RBI.
With the win, Corvallis improved to 45-10 overall and 36-10 in league.
Game two of the series is Saturday night. Game time is 7:05 pm.
Game three, the final game of the regular season, moves to Vince Genna Stadium in Bend on Sunday, August 9th at 5 pm.
You can catch the rest of the series on KEJO 1240 AM. Mike Parker calls the play-by-play.
