Travess has two hits but Knights drop finale to Elks.

Second baseman Taylor Travess had two hits but the Knights fell 2-0 to Bend on Sunday in the rubber game of their season-opening West Coast League series at Vince Genna Stadium.

Led by Travess (Mt. Hood CC), Corvallis had seven hits the night after being no-hit, but it grounded into three rally-killing double plays. It was shut out the final two games of the series and finished the weekend scoring in just one of 27 innings.

The Knights threatened in the eighth and ninth innings but could not break through with a clutch hit to draw even or pull ahead.

A double play ended the eighth, after they had runners on the corners with one out. They loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth on a walk and two singles but reliever Cal Neely struck out Roman Garcia (San Diego) to end the game.

Starter Aaron Pope (Dixie State) was the tough-luck loser, allowing three hits and an unearned run in five innings, with five strikeouts. Jacob Wong (Grand Canyon) had three strikeouts in two perfect innings of relief to keep the Knights within striking distance until Bend added an insurance run in the eighth.

The Knights (2-2 all, 1-2 WCL) are idle on Monday. They start a six-game road trip on Tuesday with Game 1 of a three-game series at Bellingham; freshman Ryley Widell (1-0, 0.00) of Washington State is their projected starter.

Corvallis plays its first nine games on the road. Its WCL home opener is June 14 against Kelowna, the 2015 WCL runner-up.