Bishop, bullpen combine to blank Walla Walla 2-0.

Starter Chris Bishop (pictured) went six strong innings and relievers Dylan Hecht and Colin Feldtman finished the shutout as the Knights blanked Walla Walla 2-0 on Thursday.

Bishop allowed just three hits and had six strikeouts in notching his first win of the summer. Hecht struck out the side in the seventh and Feldtman authored a perfect eighth and ninth innings to record his first save.

"It was my best game by far for the Knights," said Bishop, a rising junior right-hander at Pacific Lutheran who played briefly for the Knights in 2012 as a 10-day signee. "My changeup was working at first, but I kind of lost it in the middle innings.

"My slider was working all night. Then I found my changeup again late and that's how I got a few outs. I just really attacked hitters, and that's what led (to the win)."

It was Bishop's second straight strong outing as a starter after seven relief appearances to start the season. In his previous start on July 2, he allowed six hits and two runs against Bellingham and left with a 3-2 lead but was not involved in the decision.

Each team had just three hits but the Knights (21-13 all, 18-13 WCL) were more efficient than the Sweets (19-12 WCL), who had won 8 of 10 entering the game. Corvallis bunched its hits in the fourth and fifth innings and scored once in each frame.

In the fourth, Dane Lund singled, stole second, went to third on a balk and scored on the back end of a double steal. In the fifth, Blake Drake legged out a two-out douuble and then jetted home on Peter Van Gansen's single to make it 2-0.

Walla Walla had scored 33 runs in a three-game sweep at Victoria earlier this week. They had just three singles on this night, however, and did not advance a runner past second base. Corvallis pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts.

Corvallis is now 6-1 in its last seven WCL games and has pulled two games ahead of Cowlitz in their fight for second place in the South Division. The Knights also remained two games behind division leader Bend, which defeated Medford 3-1 on Thursday.

Game 2 of the series is set for 6:40 p.m. Friday. Righty Casey Bloomquist (3-0, 2.70) is the projected starter for the Knights, opposed by Walla Walla righty Cody Poteet (1-0, 0.00).