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WCL Corvallis Knights

Knights Top Pippins, Even Series

July 9, 2016 - West Coast League (WCL)
Corvallis Knights News Release


Closer Chase Kaplan notched his seventh save of the summer and the Corvallis Knights evened their West Coast League series against Yakima Valley on Saturday night with a 5-3 victory over the Pippins.

A lefty from Hillsboro and Western Nevada JC in his second year with the Knights, Kaplan will play at Kansas in 2017. He started the eighth with the Knights (25-10 all, 19-10 WCL, 1-1 second half) clinging to a 4-3 lead; after issuing a walk and throwing wildly on a pickoff attempt, he retired the final six Pippins (18-14 all, 2-2 second half) in order, four of the final five by strikeout.

Kaplan now has saves in his last three appearances. He is 1-0, 0.69 in nine games, with 12 strikeouts and only six hits allowed in 13 innings.

"It was fun to get out there and to have another close situation," Kaplan said. "It is exciting coming into those ballgames but I try to never let it get to me. I pitch every game like it is a tie game.

"I was a little shaky to start that first inning, especially with that pick-off that got away. It was nice to get everything to fall for a strike and everything was dialed."

The Knights scored once in the second on two singles, a sacrifice and a passed ball. That ended a string of 19 consecutive scoreless innings over a three-game stretch against the Pippins.

They erupted for five straight hits and three runs in sixth to build the lead to 4-0. The big blow was a two-run triple by Scott Ogrin (Cal Poly in 2016-17), who then scored on a balk.

Third baseman Michael Farris (UC Riverside) knocked in a key insurance run in the eighth for the final margin. It was his second hit, and his team-leading 16th RBI of the summer.

Ogrin and shortstop Andy Atwood (Oregon State) also had two hits. Atwood stretched his hitting streak to five consecutive games and lifted his league-leading average to .369 (31-84).

Righty Craig Colen (Cal Poly) allowed two hits and had one strikeout in three scoreless innings in his first start. It was his longest stint of the season and he still has not allowed a run in 5.2 innings over three appearances.

Sunday's 5:05 p.m. series finale is HOPE Night, presented by 107.9 FM. It is also a Lil' Knights Club game. Jacob Wong (2-0, 1.80) of Grand Canyon is the scheduled starter for the Knights, opposed by Zach Draper (5-0, 1.10) of the College of Idaho.

The Knights conclude the homestand at 6:40 p.m. Monday with a nonleague game against the Salem Capitols of the Oregon Collegiate Baseball League. It is Papa's Pizza Slice of Fun Night, presented by IBEW 280; the first 250 fans through the gate receive a free slice of Papa's pizza.

Corvallis resumes WCL play at Walla Walla on Tuesday. Its next home WCL series is July 15-17 against Cowlitz.

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