Beatty's strong game, Whalen's triple key Knights.

Veteran Max Beatty (pictured) stymied the Elks on four hits over 7 2/3 innings and Caleb Whalen drove in the go-ahead runs with a bases-loaded triple as the Knights captured the series finale 5-3.

Beatty struck out three, walked two and threw 65 strikes in 100 pitches in his longest outing of the summer. Corvallis (22-17 WCL, 24-17 overall) ended a three-game losing streak and upped its West Division lead to 1.5 games over the Elks.

Beatty said Thursday was the first time all summer he's had his changeup and slider to compliment his fastball and cutter. Before, he'd tried to survive on two pitches, and had only mediocre success.

"I did a couple bullpens (since his last start, on July 11) and dialed those pitches in," he said. "I was able to throw all four for strikes."

His lone mistakes came to center fielder Zane Yanzick, who hit one for a two-run homer in the second and the other for a double in the fifth. Yanzick eventually scored in the fifth to give the Elks a 3-1 lead.

It did not last long, though, as the Knights finally emerged from an offense fog that has enveloped them all July. Corvallis scored four runs in the fifth to fire up a noisy crowd of 1,425 that created a playoff-type atmosphere.

Nate Blackham and Greg Mahle sandwich walks around a Chris Rabago single to load the bases for Whalen. He drilled a bases-clearing triple to the gap in right-center to send the Knights in front 4-3; it was one pitch after Bend catcher Parker Guinn couldn't handle a two-strike foul tip.

"That was a really big hit, I'm glad I got it and glad the guys got on base ahead of me," said Whalen, who increased his team-leading RBI total to 21 with his first since June 28. "The last couple games we've definitely been pressing, but tonight we felt more confident and looser."

Marc Gallegos singled home Whalen for the two-run advantage. Bend got two runners on with two outs in the eighth, but closer Devon Barker fanned Darian Ramage to end that inning and retired the Elks in the ninth for his third save.

Mahle drove in the Knights' first run with a two-out single in the third; Rabago had two hits. Whalen also made the defensive play of the night with a diving, backhanded catch and throw for an out on a grounder by Jordan Spencer for the second out of the seventh.

"It felt like we scored 10 runs tonight," Beatty said. "We had no errors, and if we hit like that and get good pitching we are going to be tough to beat."

The Knights host Kelowna in a single game on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday. Righty Jorge Perez (2-2, 1.24) of Grand Canyon starts on Friday; righty AJ Burke (2-3, 3.45) of Western Oregon and lefty Dylan Stuart (1-1, 3.24) of UC Riverside go on Saturday.

They host the WCL Portland Ports on Sunday in the makeup of a June 22 rainout. It's All Family Vision Care $1,000 Kids Dash for Cash night.