Drifters Suffer 16-5 Loss in Corvallis
(Photo by Alyssa Garcia)
By Henry Light
CORVALLIS – The Drifters (9-19, 6-13) put a dent in Corvallis’ wire-to-wire lead in the sixth inning of game two at Goss Stadium, but the Knights (15-14, 11-9) promptly put the game away with six runs in the bottom half of the inning on Saturday night to secure a series win with a 16-5 victory.
Solid offensive performances from Hunter Meyer (3-for-3, R, 3B) and Preston Armstrong (2-for-3, RBI, BB) stood out as bright spots in the Drifters’ box score.
“The offense was led by Meyer and Armstrong having a few good at-bats each,” Drifters Head Coach Jeff Lyle said.
The Knights came out swinging, pushing across three runs with four singles in the bottom of the first inning, aided by three walks.
Corvallis led off the second inning with an inside-the-park home run and kept it going, ending the inning with seven runs on five more hits. The Knights scratched across another run in the third inning to stretch the lead to eight.
Meyer gave the Drifters the quick spark they needed in the fourth inning, leading off with a triple down the right-field line. Armstrong followed him by punching a grounder through the right side to get Springfield on the board.
After Corvallis pushed its lead back to eight in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Drifters finally landed a blow in the top of the sixth. Zach Story’s bases-loaded single put the first dent in the Knights’ lead before three consecutive two-out walks made the score 9-5.
“We did have some good swings by some guys tonight that didn’t lead to anything in the box score except for a positive process, and hopefully it leads to something in the future,” Lyle said.
The Knights’ six-run sixth inning brought out Ryland Detzler and his knuckleball for the final two frames. The Warner Pacific utility player allowed just one run in the seventh and eighth innings.
First pitch for the series finale in Corvallis is set for 5:05 p.m. on Sunday. A radio broadcast will be available on the Drifters’ YouTube channel, while the game can be streamed on the Corvallis Knights’ YouTube Channel.