Knights split doubleheader with Medford in finale.
August 9, 2015
Cole Doherty (pictured) shut out Medford on four hits in the opener and Corvallis split a twin bill with Medford on Sunday in their final games of the regular season.
The Knights (38-22 all, 32-22 WCL) took the opener 1-0 to win their 10th series in their last 11 opportunities. Medford (25-27 WCL) earned a split with a 5-0 victory in the nightcap.
Corvallis opens the best-of-3 WCL semifinals at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday against South Division champion Bend at Goss Stadium. The Elks were 8-1 against the Knights this summer; six of those games were played in Bend and the teams have not played since June 25.
After starting 7-14 in league games, the Knights went 25-8 in their final 33 games, the best record in the WCL, to clinch their ninth consecutive playoff berth.
Defending champion Bellingham and Kelowna will meet in the other series, starting Tuesday at Bellingham. The best-of-3 WCL Championship Series will start on Saturday.
In the opener, Doherty struck out six and allowed just four hits in the complete-game shutout, fashioned in an efficient one hour and 20 minutes. The rising senior at the University of Portland retired 13 consecutive Rogues in one stretch and escaped two-on, two-out jams in the fifth and sixth innings.
Jackson Soto's two-out single in the fifth inning drove in the game's lone run. Soto also doubled and was the only Knight with more than one hit.
Medford scored twice in the first and added two more in the fourth to take the nightcap. Josh George had two hits but the Knights did not advance a runner past second base until there were two outs in the final inning.
Playoff tickets are $10 for reserved and $6 for general admission. Punch cards are also valid for all games.
Season-ticket holders have until 10 a.m. Tuesday morning to reserve their regular seats for Tuesday's game. They are available by calling 541-752-5656; by visiting the Knights' office at 425 SW Madison Ave, Suite D, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, or by e-mailing the Knights at [email protected].
Sunday's crowd of 2,286 raised the season total to a franchise-record 48,679 in 32 dates. The Knights are 6,746 fans ahead of their2014 total through a corresponding number of openings.
