Knights take 1-0 finals lead with 3-1 win at Wenatchee.

Lefty Andrew Naderer (pictured) of Grand Canyon was masterful for 8 1/3 innings and Alex Nesbitt of Washington and Devin Barker combined to save the Corvallis' 3-1 victory.

Corvallis (45-17 all) now can wrap up its third WCL title on Monday night when it hosts the AppleSox (33-26) at 6:40 p.m. at Goss Stadium in Game 2 of the best-of-3 series.

Wenatchee loaded the bases with one out in the ninth on two walks sandwiched around a double. But Barker fanned Wenatchee's Joey Jansen with the bases loaded to end the game, moments after Nesbitt had fanned Stockton Taylor on a 3-2 pitch for the second out.

Their heroics ended a potential Wenatchee comeback and sent a crowd of 1,282 at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium home disappointed.

A rising sophomore at Grand Canyon University, Naderer's (4-1) 112-pitch effort was his longest outing of the summer; his previous best was six innings on Aug. 5 in a 15-2 win over Bend. He give up four hits, one run, and struck out seven.

Naderer (4-1) stymied the AppleSox on an infield single through seven innings before surrendering a solo homer to Jansen and a single to Eric Hutting leading off the eighth. However, he fanned Joey Harris for the first out and Hutting was thrown out attempting to steal for a double play. He then got the third out.

He got one more out in the ninth before being relieved with the bases loaded after a walk, a double and an intentional walk. That's when Nesbitt and Barker won their right-righty, lefty-lefty matchups against Taylor and Jansen to secure the victory.

Kavin Keyes had three hits to raise his playoff average to .750 (9-12). Chris Rabago added two hits and an RBI for the Knights, who now have won 13 consecutive regular-season, non-league and playoff games.

The Knights banged out four hits and took a 2-0 lead in the second. Keyes singled, Joe Duffin doubled, and Rabago and Blake Drake followed with RBI singles. Corvallis made it 3-0 in the fourth on consecutive singles by Rabago, Mike Lucarelli and Peter Van Gansen.

Righty Jorge Perez (2-1, 1.67), Naderer's GCU teammate, is the Knights' projected starter for Game 2 on Monday; Wenatchee's is undetermined. If necessary, Game 3 is set for 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, also at Goss Stadium; Elliot Surrey (6-1, 1.27) would start for the Knights.