The Corvallis Knights quest for seven consecutive WCL titles is complete.
After a tough three-game first-round series victory over the Cowlitz Black Bears and toppling the Portland Pickles 4-1 in the South Division Championship Game this past Saturday night, the Knights wrapped the season with a 5-0 blanking of the North champion Victoria HarbourCats on Monday.
Merit Jones of Utah (5.2 IP, 9 Ks, win) was extraordinary on the mound, and Zach Johnson of Utah Valley (1.1 IP, 3 Ks) and Sean Wiese of Arizona Christian (2.0 IP, 1 K, save) were both stellar in relief. The trio allowed just seven baserunners, and didn't allow a HarbourCat to reach third base until two outs in the 9th inning. Jones earned WCL Pitcher of the Week honors for his performance in the title game and game one against the Black Bears (6.0 IP, 1 H, 6 Ks) last Tuesday.
Outfielder Ethan Hott (Stanford) paced the offense with three hits and 2 RBI in the WCL championship game. First-baseman Ethan Hedges (USC) drew two walks, stole two bases, and scored two runs, and catcher Tyler Howard (Portland) and shortstop Ty Yukumoto (Pacific) each finished with a hit and an RBI. Hott, fittingly, sizzled at the plate throughout the postseason, finishing with a .500 batting average, .579 OBP, five RBI, two stolen bases, and two runs scored in five games en route to earning WCL Player of the Week honors.
This marks the 7th consecutive season, and 10th overall, that the Knights have captured the WCL crown. At 39-15, the Knights finished the regular season with the best record in the league for a 4th straight campaign.
Read the Championship game recap.
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