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Corvallis routs Walla Walla 12-3 at Borleske.

June 2, 2012

Corvallis routs Walla Walla 12-3 at Borleske.

The Knights banged out 12 hits; Nathan Blackham of WSU (pictured) collected 4 hits and drove in 3 to lead Corvallis to a big victory over the Sweets.

Blackham, a junior-to be at Washington State, had four hits, three RBIs, two doubles, two runs, a steal and a diving catch in center field for Corvallis.

Catcher Beau Fraser of Portland put the Knights (2-0, 2-0 WCL) ahead to stay in the second inning with a two-run homer, their second in two games. Corvallis hit just eight in 54 regular-season games in 2011.

Blackham and Dane Lund of Mt. Hood CC added RBI doubles and Portland's Caleb Whalen scored on a wild pitch in a three-run third for a 5-0 lead.

The Knights then scored twice in the fifth and sixth innings and cruised from there.

Lund drove in two runs and left fielder Caylen Clardy of the College of the Siskyous scored three times. Blackham also saved two runs in the sixth with an inning-ending, diving catch of Jared Jordan's line-drive into the left-center gap.

Corvallis has now won 12 consecutive regular-season and playoff series games over the past two seasons since being swept by Bend on July 3-5, 2011.

Starter Jorge Perez of Grand Canyon struck out two and allowed one run on seven hits in five innings to get the win. Relievers Kendall Motes of Mt. Hood CC and Devon Barker of Centralia College finished up, going two innings apiece.

The Knights go for the series sweep at 7:07 p.m. Sunday. Returning right-hander Kyle Hart of Redlands is the Knights' probable starter, to be opposed by North Dakota State righty Kyle Kingsley.

Corvallis is idle on Monday. They host the Klamath Falls Gems at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday in their home opener; the teams conclude the brief homestand at 11 a.m on Wednesday, June 6.