The Corvallis Knights bounced back from a loss in the opening game of their West Coast League playoff series, defeating the Bend Elks in the two following meets.

The Knights won at home in Goss Stadium 12-3 on Saturday and 10-0 on Sunday to clinch the series and advance to face the Portland Pickles in the WCL South Division Championship.

The series opened on Friday night with a 7-5 victory for the Elks, but Corvallis wasted no time answering in game two. 

On Saturday, the Knights burst for six runs in the first inning, effectively ending the game. Corvallis was able to capitalize on five walks and two Elks errors. 

Antonio Castro delivered a two-run double and Corvallis continued to apply pressure, adding single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings before plating two more in the sixth and one in the eighth. 

The Knights finished with 10 hits and 11 RBIs. They were led by Ian Fernandez, who went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, RBI and three runs scored. 10-time championship coach Brooke Knight was enthused with the win.

“You spend a lot of time with these guys over an 11 week period and you wanna see them play in the last game of the year and have a chance to bring home a championship,” Knight said after the first game. “I was really looking forward to the starting pitch tonight.”

Runs were at a premium for the Elks, whose only breakthrough came with a single run in the fifth inning and a two-run eighth inning. The Elks’ Easton Amundson provided the lone home run of the game with a solo shot, while Zach Carlson chipped in with an RBI single. 

The Knights benefited from two Elks fielding errors and were able to limit the Elks to five hits, both of which fueled the Knights’ early scoring outburst.

On the mound for Corvallis, starter Zach Johnson tossed four hitless innings with six strikeouts and one walk. The Knights’ Tyler Bellerose earned the win in relief, allowing one run on two hits over three innings. Dillon Tatone and Michael Singleton closed out the final two frames, surrendering a combined two runs. The Knights’ pitching staff combined for nine strikeouts and limited Bend to 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Bend’s pitching staff struggled to contain the Knights’ lineup, issuing 10 walks in the game. Starter Lucas Hines recorded just one out before being pulled while reliever Carter Hess worked 4.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits. 

The Knights’ win on Saturday set up a game three on Sunday, where the Knights crushed the Elks in a shutout.

In the winner-take-all game three, Corvallis’ pitching staff was dominant. Starting pitcher Van Froling struck out six and allowed just one hit over six innings to pick up the win.

“Definitely my fastball,” Froling said about what worked for him after game three. “I think fastball command is really important and something I wanted to work on coming into summer. … It’s a pitch you can really let … go and it enhances your other pitches. I mean, if they can’t hit the fastball, what else can they hit, you know?”

It turns out that the Elks were not able to hit many pitches, let alone Froling’s fastball in game three.

With the Knights leading 8-0 after the sixth inning, Tanner Douglas and Quin Dufort combined to pitch three shutout innings to close it out. The Knights continued their onslaught in the final frames, plating two runs in the eighth inning.

For the game, Trey Swygart went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, while Thomas Ferroggiaro added three hits and scored twice. Fernandez added three RBIs and Brock Ketelsen drove in a run while stealing three bases. The Knights finished with 10 hits and 12 walks, stranding 10 runners but never letting Bend threaten.

For the series, Corvallis outscored Bend 27-10 with 26 walks and 15 stolen bases. The Knights’ pitching gave up only three runs in the final two games while notching 20 strikeouts. The Corvallis offense, meanwhile, lit up the scoreboard with 22 runs. Scoring came early and often for Corvallis, with 17 of their 27 runs coming in the first three innings across the series.

With the series win, Corvallis improves to 2-1 in postseason play, while Bend’s season ends. The Knights advance to play the Portland Pickles in game one of the best-of-three South Division Championship on Tuesday in Portland. The game is scheduled for a 7:05 p.m. start at Walker Stadium.