Nesbitt solid in debut; Corvallis falls to Pippins.

Alex Nesbitt (pictured) pitched well in his 2015 debut but Yakima Valley snapped the Knights' four-game win streak on Tuesday with a 4-3 victory at Goss Stadium.

A rising senior at Washington back in Corvallis after a one-year absence, Nesbitt allowed one earned run and three hits in five innings. He struck out one and threw 37 strikes in 56 pitches in an efficient performance.

Nesbitt retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced and got 10 ground-ball outs. He was a key member of the Knights' 2013 WCL-championship pitching staff and was projected to return in 2014, but he was shut down last summer and did not pitch.

Yakima Valley (7-3 WCL) scored twice in the eighth inning to erase a 3-2 deficit. It was the first loss for the Knights (6-5 all, 5-5 WCL) since a 5-2 setback to Bellingham on June 10.

Catcher KJ Harrison (Oregon State) had three hits and a run, Emilio Alcantar (Linn-Benton CC) had two hits and an RBI and DH Jackson Soto (OSU) and third baseman Michael Farris (UC Riverside) had RBIs for the Knights.

Eight players made their Knights' 2015 debut on Tuesday: Harrison; Nesbitt; Farris; second baseman Christian Donahue (OSU); first baseman Cameron Bishop (UC Santa Barbara); shortstop Clay Fisher (UCSB), and pitchers Michael Martin (UC Irvine) and Slater Lee (Cal Poly).

Tuesday's crowd of 860 upped the season attendance to 6,654 in five dates. That puts the Knights 276 behind last year's total through a corresponding number of home openings.

The series resumes at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday. Righty Chris Clements of UC Santa Barbara will make his starting debut for the Knights, opposed by lefty Kelly Fitzpatrick (0-1, 1.50) of Yakima Valley CC for the Pippins.

It's Beaver Basketball Night, Presented by the Hilton Garden Inn, and Spindrift Cellars Wine Tasting Night. OSU men's basketball coach Wayne Tinkle will throw out the first pitch.