Soto's walkoff hit gives Knights wild 7-6 win at Goss.
July 1, 2014Corvallis third baseman Jackson Soto's (pictured) two-run single with two outs in the 11th gave the Knights a dramatic victory over Medford in a comeback-filled battle at Goss.
Errors keyed the Corvallis (15-10 all, 13-10 WCL) rally after the Rogues(12-8 WCL), who erased a 5-0 deficit in the ninth, had surged ahead 6-5 in the visiting 11th on Kyle Beam's solo homer.
In the home 11th, Marc Gallegos reached on a one-out error and advanced to second on Dalton Kelly's fourth single of the game. After a strikeout, the Rogues seemed poised to prevail when Michael Lucarelli hit a grounder that shortstop Yuto Kata fielded cleanly.
Kata tossed the ball to second baseman Blaine Tanner for what should have been an easy game-ending force play. But Tanner bobbled it and Kelly was safe, loading the bases. Soto then drove an 0-1 pitch from closer Shane Quarterley into the right-center gap to send Gallegos and Kelly flying plateward with the tying and winning runs.
That touched off a wild celebration around Soto, as he was mobbed near second base and enveloped by the entire team.
Soto, from Albany, and Quarterly, from Springfield, faced each other often in Area III American Legion games in previous summers so neither player was unfamiliar with his opponent.
"I (had) a good track record against him, so I felt confident I could get a hit," said Soto, a West Albany graduate who will play at Oregon State in 2014-15. "That hit felt really good."
The Knights moved to within one-half game of the first-place Rogues in the South Division pennant race. Coupled with Monday's 6-5 victory, Corvallis captured the series and remained undefeated against Medford in five games at Goss Stadium.
Corvallis pitcher Angel Landazuri of UC Riverside blanked the Rogues on two hits through seven innings but got a tough no-decision when they rallied for five runs in the ninth to force extra innings.
A rising sophomore right-hander from the Knights' recruiting hotbed of Redlands, Calif., Landazuri struck out five, walked just one, and did not permit a runner to advance past first base in his best effort of the summer.
His previous longest outing was five innings in a 6-5 victory at Wenatchee on June 25, another two-hit performance. He threw 61 strikes in 94 pitches and lowered his ERA from 3.72 to 2.16.
Landazuri was denied his second win of the summer when the Rogues scored five times with one out in the ninth to erase a 5-0 deficit. A three-run homer, an error and back-to-back doubles kept them alive.
Catcher Dane Lund doubled, singled twice, scored twice and drove in two to lead a 13-hit attack. Kelly singled four times and drove in a run and Gallegos added an RBI single. Soto entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and walked twice, scored and had the two biggest RBIs while reaching safely in all three plate appearances.
The Knights scored all seven runs with two outs. In the fifth, Gallegos and Kelly nicked Medford starter Christian Cox for two-out RBI singles that plated Lund and Kevin Kline.
Corvallis got three more runs in the eighth. Soto walked and Grant Melker singled with two outs; both scored when Lund rattled a double into the left-field corner. Lund then tallied on an error for what seemed to be a safe 5-0 advantage.
To listen to Alex Kuhn's exciting game highlights, click here.
The series concludes at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday on OSU Federal Credit Union Fireworks Night. Chris Haddeland (1-2, 3.66) of Linfield is the projected starter for the Knights, opposed by Brandon Erickson (2-1, 2.84) of Feather River College in a matchup of right-handers.
Tuesday's crowd of 964 upped the 2014 attendance to 19,003 in 16 openings, 1,154 behind 2013 through a corresponding number of home dates. The Knights drew a franchise-record 43,557 fans in 2013.