Corvallis Uses Short-Game to Overcome Elks in Opening Game
The six-time reigning West Coast league Champion Corvallis Knights outlasted the Bend Elks 7-4 in the opening game of the weekend series thanks to a string of sac flies and forced mistakes on the Elks' behalf.
Despite keeping things to a draw with Corvallis (37-13, 33-13) for the first five innings, Bend (24-26, 21-25) broke its composure after Elks ace Kellan Oakes concluded his outing. Rory Lampe was the first man deployed from the bullpen, and although he struggled by allowing the first three base runners he faced to reach, he managed to produce a potential 5-2-3 double play for Tyler Peterson at third. Unfortunately, a rare throwing error by Peterson would turn the potential bang-bang play into a duo of runs that turned the game in the Knights' favor.
Things would continue to spiral for the Elks' defense from there as Shane Buchanan threw a wild pitch allowing Phoenix Call to score in the eighth. Justin Tsukada then lost a fly ball in the hazy night sky, allowing Sam Stem to earn an unorthodox triple. On the next pitch, Buchanan spiked yet another wild pitch to the backstop, bringing in Stem to score and making it a four-run ballgame with just three outs to go.
Bend strung together a little two-out magic with three straight singles off 2022 WCL First-Teamer Sean Wiese but had their rally cry cut short on a gun down from Call in the center to get former Knight Jake Hoskins out at third to end the game.
The Elks used four separate pitchers, while Corvallis let their two bulldogs go out and work. Kaden Segel dueled across Oakes but got additional offensive support to earn his third straight victory. Segel (3-0) finished with two strikeouts, two walks, and three hits over five innings while surrendering just his second earned run of the summer. Wiese earned his first save to complement his WCL-best 5-0 record going four innings in relief, giving up six hits and two runs with two strikeouts and no walks. For the Elks, Oakes (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season despite his stellar pitching, tossing five innings allowing three hits, two runs, and three walks countered by two punchouts.
It was pretty much a one-man band for each side's offense, with Sam Stem and Derek Gellos each posting four hits. Stem accounted for four of the Knights' seven hits, while Gellos was responsible for four of the Elks' nine knocks. No other players from either team finished with multiple hits, although Tyler Howard did produce two RBI on a pair of sac flies.
With their backs pushed up flat against the wall, Bend will try and fight to even the series with Corvallis, setting up a chance at a series victory in a rubber match. The first pitch for game two is on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. at Vince Genna Stadium.
