Gazette-Times


SILVERDALE, Wash. — Former Corvallis High School/Richey’s Market star Billy Clontz hit a 3-run homer, a double and an RBI single on Friday night to lead the Corvallis Knights to an 11-2 victory over the Kitsap BlueJackets at Lobe Field.

The Knights (2-0) thus won their season-opening West Coast Collegiate Baseball League series, which concludes a 7 p.m. today.

Clontz was the first batter faced by Kitsap reliever Jeff Brooks in the decisive sixth inning. He fell behind 0-2, took a ball and then blasted a 3-run homer over the left-field fence.

An error on a potential inning-ending double-play ball gave the Knights life and Clontz made the BlueJackets (0-2) pay dearly.

Knights’ starter James McLaughlin retired the first nine batters in order, gave up two runs in the fourth and then did not allow another runner.

He left when he reached his pitch count after 61/3 innings. He gave up two hit and one earned run, struck out five and walked one.

Jerad Thompson finished up with 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He retired eight of the nine batters he faced and had five strikeouts.

The Knights trailed 2-0 after four but tied the game in the fifth in a rally ignited by Clontz’s one-out double. Shortstop Richie Jimenez followed with an RBI single and eventually scored on a groundout by Davis Duren.

Corvallis added a single run in the seventh and five in the ninth, sparked by Alex Burg’s homer. Corvallis had 16 hits and has 29 hits and 16 runs in two games, as it prevailed 8-1 on Thursday night,

The projected starters tonight are Oregon State sophomore-to-be right-hander Taylor Starr (0-0, 0.00) of Oregon State for the Knights and Washington senior-to-be right-hander Paul Dickey (0-0, 0.00) for the BlueJackets.

The Knights play an exhibition game against the Class A Salem-Keizer Volcanoes at 5 p.m. Sunday at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer. Their home opener, against the Spokane RiverHawks, is set for 6:35 p.m. Tuesday at Goss Stadium.

Corvallis 11, Kitsap 2

CORVALLIS 000 023 105— 11 16 1

KITSAP 000 200 000 — 2 2 1

James McLaughlin, Jerad Thompson (7) and Alex Burg; Alec Reichle, Jeff Brooks (6). Ian Opsol (7), Justin Carlson (9) and Lawson Hipps. WP: McLaughlin (1-0). LP: Reichle (0-1). 2B: Clontz, Jimenez, Burg, C. 3B: Green, C. HR: Clontz, Burg, C.

Hits: Corvallis 16 (Clontz 3, Hogan 2, Duren, Burg 2, Green, Lotti 2, Cherry, Jimenez 3). Kitsap x (Decker, Shadle)

RBI: Corvallis x (Clontz 4, Hogan, Duren, Burg, Green, Lotti, Jimenez), Kitsap 1 (Johnson).