Leopold leads Knights to 5-2 win over Gems.

Right fielder Phil Leopold (pictured) had three hits, two RBIs and scored a key insurance run as Corvallis topped Klamath Falls 5-2 on Saturday to even their West Coast League series 1-1.

A 10-day signee from Bellarmine (Ky.) University who earned a full-time position, Leopold had RBI singles in the second and sixth innings and then scored himself in the ninth following his third single. He is hitting .500 (7-14) in his last four games, with a homer, a double, five runs and six RBIs.

The Knights (35-16 all, 31-16 WCL) rebounded from a disappointing loss on Friday night to maintain their comfortable lead over second-place Bend in the South Division with seven games remaining.

Starter Jackson Lockwood (Portland), the WCL's leader in wins, went seven strong innings, earned the victory when the Knights went ahead in the eighth, and improved to 8-2. He allowed two runs on six hits, had six strikeouts and threw 61 strikes in 89 pitches.

Chris Haddeland (Linfield) allowed one hit in two scoreless innings for his first save. On Friday night, two relievers allowed five runs in the ninth as the Gems (12-35) scored five times to erase a 6-4 deficit.

Corvallis scored the eventual winning run in the eighth. Dane Lund (Oregon State) led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on Dalton Kelly's (UC Santa Barbara) fly out to center and scored on a sacrifice fly by Marc Gallegos (Corban).

The Knights added two insurance runs in the ninth on RBIs by Jackson Soto (West Albany HS/OSU in 2014-15) and Grant Melker (San Diego) to take a 5-2 lead that Haddeland protected with a 1-2-3, nine-pitch bottom half.

The Knights took a 1-0 lead in the second when Gallegos singled, stole second, and scored on Leopold's single. The Gems tied the game an inning later.

Leopold had another RBI in the sixth on a two-out single that followed similar two-out singles by Gallegos and Kevin Kline (Dixie State). The Gems tied the score again in the bottom half.

Gallegos had two hits, two runs, a steal and an RBI and Lund had two hits, a run and a steal to complement Leopold's big night.

Corvallis goes for its ninth-straight series win at 5:05 p.m. Sunday in the finale. Jake Otness (0-0, 0.00) of Pacific Lutheran will make his first start for the Knights, opposed by Jordan Kron (0-7, 8.49) of UC Riverside.

Corvallis returns home after the game and hosts the NCBL-Portland All-Stars at 6:40 p.m. Monday. It opens a WCL series against South Division rival Bend on Tuesday.