Dittrick's gem clinches tie for West Division title.

Starter Rob Dittrick (pictured) pitched three-hit ball over eight innings and the Knights edged Cowlitz 2-1 before a Goss crowd of 2,273.

The first-place Knights (29-21 WCL, 35-21 overall) lead the division by 4.5 games over Klamath Falls (24-25 WCL). The Knights and Gems start a four-game series in Klamath Falls on Monday; one win by the Knights will give them the outright championship.

Dittrick oretired the first 15 Black Bears in order and extended the staff's hitless streak to 15 innings over three games. An excuse-me, opposite-field single by Kyle Kuck leading off the sixth broke up Dittrick's bid to one-up the no-hitter thrown by Greg Mahle on Friday night with a perfect game.

He struck out six, did not issue a walk, and Cowlitz�s lone run was unearned thanks to two, two-out errors in the eighth. He improved to 4-1 and lowered his ERA to 1.10, the lowest in the West Coast League.

"I was happy with tonight, and thanks to Mahle's no-hitter last night I didn't feel any pressure," Dittrick said.

The 2011 Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Year for the Pacific Boxers, Dittrick was originally a 10-day signee from Pacific University. However, he pitched well early to earn a full-time position, and he became a key member of the staff.

"It didn�t put any pressure on me," being a 10-day signee, he said. "But I did try and work harder to get that spot. My experience with the Knights was awesome and it's the best baseball summer I�ve ever had."

Taylor Starr pitched a scoreless ninth for the save. Knights' pitchers have not allowed an earned run in 28.2 consecutive innings, dating back to last Monday's game at Kitsap.

Sacrifice flies by Chris Rabago in the second and Nick Torres in the sixth drove in the Knights' only runs. Caleb Whalen doubled and singled; he was the only Knight with more than one hit.

Cowlitz (23-27 WCL) lost its third game in a row and fell further behind Klamath Falls in the race for the West Division's other playoff berth. The playoffs are scheduled to start on Aug. 11 but that date may be moved to Aug. 10 if the Knights and Gems qualify.

The Fireworks Night crowd of 2,273 increased the season total to 39,796, a regular-season franchise record.