CORVALLIS 9
VICTORIA 8
The Corvallis Knights of Oregon, named after the wife of Nike co-founder Phil Knight and main team sponsor Penny Knight, won their fifth West Coast League baseball championship last year with a 2-1 victory over the Victoria HarbourCats in the league final.
The Knights defeated the HarbourCats 9-8 on Saturday night at Goss Stadium in the clubs’ first meeting since the 2017 WCL final.
The Knights, who have appeared in nine WCL playoff finals in 11 years, got the early jump on the HarbourCats.
Despite scoring two runs in the top of the first inning, Victoria found itself chasing the game all night after that as starter Landon Anderson was rocked for five Corvallis runs in the first inning.
This weekend is a homecoming to Corvallis for HarbourCats infielder Ryan Ober and outfielder Joe Casey, freshman on the 2018 NCAA College World Series champion Oregon State Beavers team.
Victoria coach Brian McRae, however, kept the pair out of the game, the first of three in the series continuing today and Monday at Corvallis.
Michael Malinchak led the HarbourCats offence with two hits, including a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Dustin Demeter added three hits and two RBIs.
The game was the first of the second half of the season for the HarbourCats.
The second-half champion will meet the first-half champion Bellingham Bells in the North Division playoff final.
If the Bells also win the second-half crown, then the team with the next-best overall record will earn the second divisional playoff berth.
The Knights are also needing to win the second half of the South Division in order to make the playoffs after the expansion Portland Pickles won the first-half title to clinch a berth.
