Knights beat Bend 8-2, take series

Aaron Corwin of Texas Tech pitched 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to protect the 6-2 lead he inherited and the Knights prevailed 8-2 at Bend. Corwin allowed one hit and had three strikeouts in his most effective outing this season.

It was the seventh win in a row for the streaking Knights (11-4), who now lead the second-place Elks (7-4) by two games. Corvallis also won the series, as it prevailed 9-4 on Saturday night.

Second baseman Marc Gallegos of Corban was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, two runs and his 12th stolen base. Catcher Nate Esposito of OSU and third baseman Caleb Whalen of Portland each added two hits and an RBI.

The Knights scored three times in the second on an RBI single by Esposito, a sacrifice by Seattle's Nate Roberts, and a Bend error. Gallegos drove in the fourth run and another scored on an error in third to make it 5-0.

Austin Hamilton had an RBI single in the fourth to make it 6-0. Bend broke through with two runs in the sixth, but Whalen and Gallegos had RBIs in the seventh to restore a 6-run advantage.

The series concludes at 6:40 p.m. Monday at Goss Stadium. Third-year Knight Mitch Patito of UC Riverside will make his first start of the summer for Corvallis.