Knights edge Victoria 8-5, win 7th series in a row.

Chris Haddeland (pictured) pitched four innings of two-hit relief and Corvallis rallied from a 4-2 deficit to defeat Victoria 8-5 at Royal Athletic Park.

A rising senior at Linfield, Haddeland gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, ex-Knight Gabe Clark of Oregon State. That gave Victoria a 4-2 lead in the fifth but he shut them down on one hit until being relieved after the eighth inning and the Knights held on to claim their seventh consecutive series.

Corvallis (31-14 all, 27-14 WCL) remained one game ahead of Bend in the South Division pennant race by winning for the 16th time in their last 20 league games.

The Knights scored three times in the sixth to erase a 4-2 deficit. The tying runs scored on Michael Lucarelli's (Portland) two-out double and Grant Melker (San Diego) followed with a single to knock in the go-ahead run.

Lucarelli was beaned by Sean Watkins leading off the eighth in his next at-bat; Watkins was immediately ejected. Lucarelli was not injured and remained in the game.

Corvallis scored three more runs in the ninth to hand over a seemingly-safe 8-4 lead to reliever Harrison McGhee (Concordia). He got the first two outs, then gave up a homer, a walk and a single to bring the tying run to the plate. Ted Hammond (Seattle) relieved; an infield error loaded the bases but he retired the next batter on a groundout to notch his first save.

Melker tripled, singled twice, drove in two runs and had three hits for the fifth time in his last six games. Lucarelli doubled and drove in two runs. The series concludes at 1:05 p.m. Sunday at Sports Traders Diamond at Royal Athletic Park; Pacific Lutheran righty Derrick Mahlum (2-1, 3.78) will start for the Knights.