Drifters Crush Corvallis for First Home Win vs Knights Since 2022
(Photo by Isaac Abrego)
By Henry Light
SPRINGFIELD – One week after the Corvallis Knights opened a three-game home sweep of the Drifters, Springfield erased any chance of suffering the same fate with a dominant 10-1 win over the Knights in the series opener to secure their first home win against Corvallis since 2022.
Four Drifters (12-22, 9-16) hitters had multi-RBI games, while Jack Klee held Corvallis (18-16, 14-11) to one run in 5.2 innings. Just three days removed from its fourth straight loss, Springfield now has a chance at consecutive series wins, with its lineup peaking heading into the final two games before the All-Star break.
“It’s super rewarding, especially with how hard our guys have been working,” Drifters head coach Jeff Lyle said. “They’ve been sticking with the process, not letting bumps in the road bother them, and tonight I thought it was a complete game victory from everybody who touched the field, and also guys who didn’t touch the field supporting.”
In his first start since June 28, Klee cruised through the first two innings for the Drifters, stranding one single at first base. Projected MLB Draft pick Bryce Hill matched him for the Knights, holding Springfield to one walk.
“Their first arm, Hill, that guy’s really good,” Lyle said. “Guys were legitimately pumped tonight. I was a little bit worried they were going to be over-juiced because they wanted, for lack of a better term, some revenge; they wanted Corvallis tonight.”
Knights second baseman Diego Cruz manufactured the game’s opening run in the third, singling and stealing his way to third base before scoring on a wild pitch.
The Drifters got to work on the deficit with one out in the bottom of the third, with Aiden Gebhard and Hunter Meyer drawing consecutive walks. Nick Gimino doubled in the tying run with a ground ball down the third base line before Nolan Miller’s infield single gave Springfield a 2-1 lead.
“They were just awesome today, offensively and defensively, just picking me up all over the place, so I couldn’t be happier,” Klee said.
Klee stranded a one-out triple in the fourth inning, and the lineup rewarded him by doubling the score on a high-hopping infield single by Miller and a single up the middle by Gimino.
The Knights never managed a second run off Klee, as the right-hander headed for Ottawa University racked up weak contact outs through 5.2 innings.
It took seven batters, a pitching change and five runs for Corvallis to record an out in the bottom of the sixth inning. During the rally that broke the game open, Meyer pulled back a bunt and ripped a two-run double to left field, Cooper Mullens bounced a two-run double over the outfield wall and Johnny Elliott grounded a single up the middle for a 9-1 lead.
“We talk about it all the time — good swings lead to good takes, so we’re having good takes and checking swings against good pitchers,” Lyle said.
Drifters WCL All-Star Michael Klein took the ball for the final ten outs and held the Knights scoreless with three strikeouts.
“That’s just Michael Klein,” Lyle said. “He is willing to do anything we want, and he’s a true stopper, so we thought if we could stop them right where they were tonight, and they didn’t score again, then we were definitely favored.
The Drifters will go for the series win Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. The game will be streamed on the Drifters’ YouTube channel.
Saturday’s game is Rapid’s Birthday Party! The first 500 fans inside Hamlin Sports Complex will receive a free Rapid bobblehead, as we celebrate our mascot’s fifth birthday! Tickets are available online at Driftersbaseball.com.