Knights rally late for win at Cowlitz.
June 11, 2012Catcher Austin Barr (pictured) singled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the top of the ninth and Corvallis escaped a bases-loaded jam in the home half for the 5-4 victory.
Barr's third hit of the game enabled the Knights (5-4 WCL, 5-4 overall) to snap a three-game losing streak. His single scored Alex Michaels, who had reached third on a walk, a stolen base and a fly out. A freshman at Cal Poly, Michaels made his Knights' debut on Tuesday.
A Stanford signee who recently graduated from Camas, Wash., High School, Barr had two singles, a double, the game-winning RBI and a run to lead a 10-hit attack. He is hitting .438 (7-16), with a homer, three doubles and seven RBIs in four games.
The Knights trailed 3-0 and 4-2 before finally pulling even in the eighth inning. Caleb Whalen's two-out double scored two in the seventh inning to trim the deficit to 3-2. Tyler Campbell's two-run single in their eighth scored the tying runs after a solo homer by Austin Diemer in the bottom of the seventh had doubled Cowlitz's (2-4 WCL) lead to 4-2.
Southpaw Devon Barker of Centralia College went 3.1 innings in relief of starter Kyle Hart of Redlands to get the win. Barker gave up one run and had six strikeouts, including the game-ender on a called third strike on a 2-2 pitch after the Black Bears had loaded the bases with two outs on two hits and a walk.
Whalen of University of Portland doubled twice and had two RBIs for the Knights. Vanderbilt signee Campbell had two hits and two RBIs and Corban's Marc Gallegos added two hits and a run.
The series concludes at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday. Rob Dittrick of Pacific (1-0, 2.53) of the Knights and Cole Irwin (0-0, 0.00) of Cowlitz are the projected starting pitchers. Corvallis opens a three-game home series with Walla Walla on Wednesday night.