Corvallis comes from behind to beat the Elks 10-7 at Vince Genna Stadium to take the series.
July 5, 2009
Future UNLV Rebel shortstop Richie Jimenez (pictured) delivered a key two-run triple to rally the Knights on Richie's birthday.
Corvallis rallied for three runs in the seventh to tie the game at 7-7 and then struck for three more in the ninth to go up 10-7.
Closer Steve Kalush of Santa Clara tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save and give the Knights the series win vs. its archrival Bend.
With the win, Corvallis improves to 16-4 in league and 22-4 overall. The Knights gained a game on Bend (12-9) to go up 4 1/2 games in the West.
Jimenez went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI on his birthday and drew the Knights to within a run with his two-run triple to right in the seventh. Richie scored the tying run on Billy Clontz's sharp single to center.
The Knights' ninth-inning heroics started with a Clontz single to left-center. Billy advanced to second on a hit-by-pitch by Pat Colwell of San Diego State and to third on a walk to future OSU Beaver catcher Andrew Susac.
With the bases loaded, Clontz scored the winning run on a passed ball.
Colwell then scored on a sacrifice fly to right by frosh Brent Warren of OSU. And Susac also scored on the play when the throw to the plate by the Bend rightfielder went errant, giving Corvallis a 10-7 lead.
Reliever Trevor Smith of Linn-Benton CC earned his team-leading fourth win against no defeats and lowered his ERA to 2.38 as the right-hander from Pendleton, Oregon threw three scoreless innings of relief to keep the Knights in the game.
Southpaw Tyler Anderson of Oregon replaced starter Kyle Kraus of University of Portland to start the fourth and pitched two innings allowing a run in the fifth.
Corvallis heads for British Columbia tomorrow and plays the Kelowna Falcons on Tuesday.
You can catch the entire three-game set vs, Kelowna (July 7-9) on KEJO 1240 AM.
