Corvallis Knights handle Bend Elks Thursday night, remain in 1st place WCL South Division

The Knights used a six-run eighth inning on Thursday to turn a close game against division rival Bend into a blowout victory, as the division-leading Corvallis Knights prevailed at Goss Stadium.

The Knights (32-16) built an early lead against their south division rivals, the Bend Elks (28-20), who are still battling the Knights for first place in the division.

The Knights got on the scoreboard early after Phillip Leopold’s RBI single in the second inning. The Knights brought home three more runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by a two-run triple from Alec Smith, which just missed clearing the fence.

The once-close game turned into a blowout in the eighth inning when the Knights sent 11 batters to the plate adding six more runs, which pushed the lead to 10-1.

Alec Smith hit his second two-run triple of the game in the eighth inning. Smith finished the game with two triples, four RBIs and two runs scored.

Not to be outdone by the offense, the Knights had a strong pitching performance from starter Chris Bishop, who allowed only one run in 6 2/3 innings while striking out nine Elks batters.

The bullpen did its job as well, not allowing a run in the final 2 1/3 innings.

The Knights have been playing at a high level, winning eight of their past 10 games. During the streak of success, the Knights have extended their lead in the south division over the Bend Elks to four games, with only nine games remaining in the season.

“When you start winning, you start feeling it,” said incoming Oregon State freshman Jackson Soto. “That is a big factor with this team right now, we are on a roll and everyone feels it.”

Over the past week the Knights’ bats have really come alive. As a team they have a .341 batting average, 43 runs batted in, and have only struck out 37 times and have scored a total of 47 runs.

The pitching has been stellar over the past week. The pitching staff has a record of 5-1, allowing 23 runs, striking out 38 batters and has a combined earn run average of 3.9.

“We are firing on all cylinders,” said Oregon State catcher Logan Ice following the victory. “We are getting hits when we need them, good pitching and playing great defense”.

With the end of the season approaching, a postseason berth within reach and the high level that the team is already playing at, the Knights are trying to sustain their level of success.

“Obviously everyone can improve,” Soto said. “But we are on a roll right now and we need to keep playing the way we are playing, with the same amount of intensity.”

Given the win Thursday night against the Elks, the Knights widen the gap between the two teams to four games with only nine games left on the schedule. After winning two of three games on the road against the Klamath Falls Gems, the Knights return home to face the Bend Elks hoping to clinch the south division for the ninth-consecutive season.

Brian Rathbone, sports reporter

On Twitter @brathbone3

sports@dailybarometer.com