Donahue's homer helps lead Knights over Gems, 6-3.

Christian Donahue (pictured) homered, stole two bases and scored three times and the Knights stayed in control of the wild-card playoff race on Tuesday by topping the Gems.

A Goss Stadium crowd of 1,756 saw the Knights (29-19 all, 24-19 WCL) stay in front of second-place Yakima Valley and third-place Walla Walla in the wild-card chase with their third win in a row.

The Pippins and Sweets each lost Tuesday. Yakima Valley trails the Knights by 2.5 games, Walla Walla by three. Corvallis and Walla Walla both have 11 games left, Yakima Valley has 10.

A rising sophomore at Oregon State, Donahue clubbed his second homer of the summer leading off the last of the sixth. It gave the Knights a 4-2 lead and he later scored the second of two insurance runs in the eighth to extend the cushion to 6-2.

"I haven't hit any [homers] in the past two years and so far I have two this summer, it surprises me too," he said, speaking of his power surge. "I don't know where [the power] is coming from.

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself, but hopefully it can keep happening."

Donahue also scored the Knights' first run in the fourth inning, when a two-run triple by Michael Farris (UC Riverside) erased a 1-0 Gems' lead.

Starter Cameron Bishop (UC Irvine) went 4.2 innings but was relieved one out short of qualifying for the win. He allowed just one hit and struck out seven, but walked six.

Winner Branden Cutsforth (Treasure Valley CC) allowed one run in 2.1 innings and Chase Kaplan (Western Nevada) earned a two-inning save by going the eighth and ninth innings. He allowed a harmless run in the ninth after a routine fly ball lost in the lights prolonged the inning.

The Knights are 14-4 in their last 18 WCL games and can win another series by prevailing in Game 2, set for 6:40 p.m. Wednesday.

"It really is just the team chemistry we have going," Donahue said in explaining the turnaround. "Everyone is bonding and becoming one, so we are playing like one."

Wednesday is Stahlbush Island Farms Hawaiian Night; general admission tickets for fans 60 years of age and older are only $2. Lefty Cory Nelson (2-0, 1.92) of Pacific Lutheran is our starting pitcher, opposed by Western Oregon right-hander Garrett Alvarez (2-3, 4.30).

Tuesday's crowd of 1,756 raised the season total to 38,759 in 27 dates. That is 5,108 fans ahead of our 2014 total through a corresponding number of openings.