Lund helps Knights stave off Albany upset bid, 6-3.

Dane Lund (pictured) went 2-for-2 with a steal and the Knights edged the Mid-Valley Rockets in a nonleague game.

A returnee from the 2011 West Coast League championship team, Lund is battling a knee injury that has limited his playing time. He hasn't had more than three at-bats in a West Coast League game since June 18 and Thursday�s appearance was just his sixth in that span.

"It felt great to get back into it." Lund said. "My knee is feeling really good now. The break was good for me; I worked on simplifying my swing. Tonight I was pretty much looking for fastballs in the zone."

Lund's second single came with one out and two on in the eighth and loaded the bases for Alex Michaels. He followed with a 2-run single for a 6-3 lead and some crucial breathing room for the Knights.

"Playing against (an American Legion) team, everyone expects us to win by a lot," Lund said. "It was more important to give (the Rockets) a good experience and an opportunity to play" at a venue like Goss Stadium.

Caleb Whalen and Matt Nylen each had two hits and two runs, Alex Hamilton had two hits and an RBI and Nate Esposito an RBI double to complement Lund's offense.

Ben Duerr tripled, singled, scored and drove in a run and Jackson Soto doubled, singled and had an RBI for the Rockets. They trailed 4-3 and had runners at second and third with one out in the eighth after Soto's double, but Corvallis reliever Brandon Jackson escaped further damage with two strikeouts to end the inning.

Michaels gave the Knights some much-needed insurance with his two-run single in the bottom half. Kyle Hart pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.

The Knights return to West Coast League action at 5:15 p.m. Sunday with a West Division matchup against the second-place Bend Elks. UC Riverside lefty Dylan Stuart (1-0, 2.84) will start for the Knights in the opener of a five-game series.

They play in Bend on Monday and Tuesday and back in Corvallis on Wednesday and Thursday.

Box Score.