Knights even up series with big 7-2 victory over Bend.

Starter Derrick Mahlum (pictured) pitched six innings of two-hit ball and Corvallis earned its first WCL win Saturday at Vince Genna Stadium.

A Northwest Conference all-star as a freshman at Pacific Lutheran, Mahlum allowed two singles and both runs before giving way to Merrick Patito to start the seventh. Mahlum struck out four, retired the Elks (1-1 WCL) in order four times and faced just two batters over the six-inning minimum.

The Knights (2-1, 1-1 WCL) struck early and scored four runs in the first two innings. Joe Duffin's RBI single plated one run in the first, and an RBI double by Tim Rausch, a sacrifice fly by Marc Gallegos and an RBI single by Kevin Kline led to three more and a 4-1 advantage in the second.

They upped the lead to 5-1 in the fourth on a double by Michael Lucarelli and Rausch's RBI single. Consecutive doubles by Kline, Duffin and Jackson Soto made it 7-2 in the ninth.

Duffin was 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, Kline was 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI and Rausch had two singles and two RBIs as the Knights battered four Bend pitchers for five doubles and 13 hits.

Patito relieved Mahlum in the seventh and went three scoreless innings for the save. He spaced two hits and struck out five.

The series concludes at 5:05 p.m. on Sunday. Right-hander Chris Haddeland, a Northwest Conference all-star at Linfield this spring, is the projected starter for the Knights. They are idle on Monday and Tuesday and open the home portion of their WCL schedule at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday against Yakima Valley at Goss Stadium.