Elks End Season with Series Win in Corvallis
Gavin Logan takes swings during batting practice before Wednesday’s game at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field in Corvallis, Ore. (Noah Wolf)
Noah Wolf, director of media relations
noahwolf51 (at) gmail (dot) com
CORVALLIS, Ore. - While the Elks just missed the playoffs, they ended their season on a high note, taking two out of three from the four-time defending champion Corvallis Knights.
August 10, 2021 Elks' Playoff Climb Gets Steeper with Extra-Inning Loss in Corvallis Corvallis 6, Bend 5 (10 innings)
After the Elks swept Portland, they were tied for a playoff spot, but needed some help in the final series of the season.
Unfortunately on Tuesday night, they couldn't help themselves.
Bend fought back from a three-run deficit, but ultimately came up short, falling in walk-off fashion to the Corvallis Knights, 6-5 in 10 innings, at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field in Corvallis.
The Knights (37-9, 19-3 second half) got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. Their first two batters both smacked base hits, the latter of which was a two-run home run. The longball would be a theme of the game.
The Elks (24-22, 14-8 second half), with their ever-present "never say die" attitude, tied the game up the very next inning. Gavin Logan (Oregon St.) smacked a two-run homer in the top of the second inning, the first hit for Bend of the game, to tie the game at two.
Corvallis, though, would fight back, drilling another home run in the third inning, this one a three-run bomb, to take a 5-2 lead. The Knights and Elks, respectively, ranked 9th and 10th in home runs out of 10 West Coast League teams coming into the game.
Yet it was Bend who would hit more home runs. Collin Montez (Washington St.) hit two solo homers, one in the fourth and one in the sixth, to bring the Elks within a run. At that point, all the Elks' hits were longballs.
While Montez was mashing, Ethan Brown (Seattle U.) was doing incredible things on the mound. He came into the game with two on and one out in the sixth, got the final out of that inning and pitched until the end of the eighth. His final line was 2.1 perfect innings with a pair of strikeouts.
Brown held the Elks' deficit at just one run, and it was Montez again coming through in the clutch. With two outs and a man on third in the top of the eighth, the Washington State outfielder clubbed an RBI double down the right field line, completing the Bend comeback to tie the game at five. Of the three runs that the Elks scored to tie the game after trailing 5-2, Montez drove in all of them and scored two.
But it was not to be. The Knights loaded the bases in the bottom of the tenth inning with nobody out, and a walk-off sacrifice fly got the job done.
Ridgefield and Portland, with whom the Elks were previously tied for a playoff spot, both won their games this evening, as did Cowlitz, who previously trailed the three teams by a game. Bend and Cowlitz both sit a game behind Ridgefield and Portland with two to play. The Elks cannot tie Ridgefield and make the playoffs, meaning that if the Raptors win one more game or the Elks lose one more, Bend is eliminated from postseason contention. To make the playoffs, the Elks must win both games against the Knights AND Ridgefield must lose both of their remaining games at Walla Walla AND Portland must lose at least one of two games in Port Angeles.
August 11, 2021 Elks Keep Themselves Alive in Playoff Chase, Walk All Over Corvallis Bend 9, Corvallis 2
When you get six hits and your opponent has nine, chances are you're going to lose.
Chances were wrong on Wednesday night.
The Elks were outhit by three, but dominated Corvallis thanks to 17 walks, defeating the first-place Knights 9-2 at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field in Corvallis, and Bend keeps a glimmer of hope that they could make the playoffs.
Bend (25-22, 15-8 second half) got off to an early 1-0 lead on just one hit in the first inning, an RBI single from Bennett Thompson (U. Oregon). He drove in Gavin Rork (Seattle U.), who walked to lead off the frame, stole second base, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Rork would steal three bases over the course of the game, along with two from Thompson and two from Peter Mendazona (U. Nevada) for a season-high seven stolen bags.
The Knights (37-10, 19-4 second half) certainly would not go down without a fight, scoring two runs in the fifth inning on two hits in the frame, taking a 2-1 lead.
After that, it was all Elks.
Bend scored four runs in the sixth inning. Three batters walked, then Sam Linscott (Lewis-Clark St.) smashed a two-run double to give the Elks the lead they would not relinquish. Greg Fuchs (Oregon St.), hitting at his collegiate home, followed that up with a two-run single.
The Elks did not get a single hit in the seventh inning, but scored three runs in the frame nonetheless, on five walks, a sacrifice fly and a hit batsman. Bend would tack on one more in the eighth for the final score, 9-2.
Gabe Smith (U. Washington) had an incredibly important performance on the hill, coming in with two men on in the fifth inning and nobody out, and getting out of the inning with no further damage done. He ended up throwing four complete innings, allowing just two hits, no walks and no runs while picking up a pair of punchouts and the win.
The Elks are still alive in the playoff hunt, but they need some help. Ridgefield lost to Walla Walla tonight, 6-0, while Portland defeated Port Angeles, 5-3, in a 15-inning thriller. Portland holds the playoff spot at the moment, with a one-game lead over Ridgefield and Bend with one game to play. Portland controls their own destiny - a win and they're in. If Bend wins tomorrow, but Ridgefield and Portland both lose, the Elks make the playoffs. If Bend and Ridgefield both win, but Portland loses, the last playoff spot goes to Ridgefield.
August 12, 2021 Elks Take Down Corvallis, But Fall Short of Playoffs Bend 6, Corvallis 3
Sometimes, you fight as hard as you can, but the result isn't what you wanted.
The Elks learned that firsthand Thursday night.
Bend defeated Corvallis, 6-3, in the regular season finale at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, but after Ridgefield won, the Elks were eliminated from playoff contention.
Bend (26-22, 16-8 second half) was held scoreless through the first four innings, and trailed Corvallis 1-0 heading to the fifth. The Elks got clutch hits from two Oregon State batters, both playing at the ballpark they call home in the spring. Greg Fuchs and Gavin Logan both had an RBI double in the frame to put the Elks up 4-1.
Corvallis (35-11, 19-5) struck back with one run in the sixth inning, ending the day for Bend starter Jack Slominski (Grand Canyon). He tossed six complete innings, allowing just three hits, one walk and two earned runs, while racking up five strikeouts and earning the win.
The Elks would score another run in the top of the seventh inning, and it was Logan again who had the hit, an RBI single to drive in Fuchs.
Bend and Corvallis would trade runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but the Elks would hang on for the win thanks to 1.2 innings of perfect baseball from Ethan Brown (Seattle U.), who picked up one strikeout and earned the save.
The Elks finish their season as the only WCL team to win a season series over Corvallis, defeating them in four of six games. Bend has its first winning record since its title-winning 2015 season.
Performance of the series: With runners on the corners and nobody out, the Elks trailing by one in the bottom of the fifth inning Wednesday, Gabe Smith came out of the bullpen to try to keep Bend in it. He did that and more. The U. Washington righty got the Elks out of the frame with no damage done, and ended up tossing four scoreless innings with just two hits allowed.
Player of the series: Gavin Logan (Oregon St.) finished his series 5-for-8, driving in five runs and scoring three. He clubbed a double and a home run and walked five times over the course of the series.
Play of the series: Collin Montez, who had already hit two home runs in Tuesday’s game, came up to the plate with two outs in the top of the eighth inning. Runner on third, Elks down by a run. The Washington State slugger clubbed his third extra-base hit of the game, this time an RBI double down the right field line, to tie the game at 5 and eventually send it into extra innings. Bend would fall, though, in the tenth.
Up next: We’ll see you in 2022.