Rabago ends slump, has three hits in 8-5 win.

Shortstop Chris Rabago (pictured) of UC Irvine broke loose with three hits and two RBIs and the Knights got the series win by holding off Wenatchee.

The rising sophomore at UC Irvine doubled and singled twice to lead a 13-hit attack. Nate Blackham also doubled, singled twice and drove in two; Greg Mahle and Alex Michaels had two hits each.

The Knights (20-13 WCL, 21-13 overall) hit five doubles as they continued to emerge from the batting slump that plagued them on a recent 0-6 road trip to Bellingham and Kelowna, when they were shut out three times. They have 13 runs and 23 hits in the last two games.

Rabago had a strong freshman year for the Anteaters (.286, 1-12) but had scuffled with the Knights. He was hitting just .163 (7-43) with one RBI in 16 games before Tuesday's breakout raised his average 40 points.

"I've been doing the same thing I was doing before, but now it feels like it�s coming together more," he said. "It's been frustrating not hitting well, but it is what it is.'

He was also the pivot man on two key double plays. One ended the second inning when the AppleSox had runners at the corner with one out; the other with a nice 3-6-3 combination with Mahle.

"I played shortstop in high school and was converted to catcher this year,� at UCI, and he�s played short, second and catcher this summer. "Playing shortstop is like going back to my stomping grounds."

Corvallis scored four times in the second inning and answered every time the AppleSox drew closer. Seven of the nine starters had at least one hit.

Carlos Rodriguez pitched into the sixth, allowed two unearned runs six hits, and got the win. Kyle Hart went two scoreless innings and Mahle finished up with a two-out save after Brandon Jackson allowed three runs in the ninth.

Wenatchee had the potential winning run at the plate with two outs, helped greatly by three walks before a game-ending force out.

The Knights gained a half-game on Bend and increase their West Division lead to 3.5 games. Five of their next six WCL games are against the Elks, who were idle Tuesday.

The Knights and AppleSox conclude the series at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday. Righty Max Beatty (0-0, 2.84) will pitch for the Knights, opposed by lefty Trevor Lubking (1-0, 4.26) in a matchup of Pacific Lutheran standouts. The ZOOperstars! will perform and it�s a Senior Wednesday; all GA seats are just $2 for fans 60 years of age and older, and popcorn is only $1.

Corvallis hosts the Albany Mid-Valley Rockets American Legion team at 6:40 p.m. Thursday. It's a Block 15 Thursday, presented by KLOO-FM, and the first 250 fans will receive a free mini bat from COUNTRY Financial.