Kelowna Falcons

Falcons Avoid Sweep

It was big night at Elks Stadium on Thursday. With the seats packed for firefighter’s night, the Falcons were looking for a big bounce-back performance against the Corvallis Knights. After dropping games one and two of the series, the birds came out determined to get the win and avoid the sweep.

They did just that, earning a 5-4 victory against their southern opponents. It was a battle of small ball, timely hits, and tight defense, a style the Falcons have embraced in the first part of the season.

Both teams got the bats working, the Knights stringing together 8 hits from 6 batters, and the Falcons responding with 11 hits of their own. Chandler Robertson had the hot bat on the night, collecting 3 hits and adding a run scored in 4 at-bats. The centerfielder out of Ancaster, Ontario has been solid at the plate, hitting .350 on the season after Thursday’s victory.

The Falcons’ resiliency showed throughout the night, battling through several lead changes over the course of the evening. The birds put up a run in the second to grab an early lead, but the home side was then held off the board until the fifth, giving up the lead along the way. They re-took the lead in the sixth, getting their first two men aboard, leading to runs scored by Robertson and infielder Jace McKinney. They’d score one more in the seventh and hold the Knights off for the W, bringing their record on the season to 8-9.

Lefty pitcher Jordon Ragan started the game strong, needing just 8 pitches to get through the first inning. He kept his opponents from getting much momentum going, though the Knights scored single runs in each of the third, fourth, and fifth innings. Ragan was charged with two of those runs, bringing his ERA to 2.55 on the season. He got some stellar defense behind him, particularly from left fielder Cameron Sterne who laid out to make a spectacular diving catch that ended the first inning.

Falcons bench boss Bryan Donohue was happy with his team taking, then holding onto a late lead and avoiding the bottom half of the ninth inning. “I just told the guys, when you apply pressure, you find ways to score, it changes everything.”

Keeping the Knights on their heels was of the utmost importance to the Falcons victory. Carrying a ninth inning lead allowed Donohue to bring relief pitcher Jared Morton into the game, an ace up the teams’ sleeve. “This team believes and knows, if Morton is on the field, the game is over.” Donohue’s high praise of the closer was certainly earned Thursday. The righty pitched just the final frame, but the pressure of a one-run lead didn’t get to him. He looked calm and poised on the bump, striking out two in his inning of work, and leaving a Knights’ base runner on to earn the save and finish off the game.

Thursday’s winning pitcher was Jake Simmons. The righty threw two innings, not allowing any hits or walks, driving his record up to 3-1 on the year.

The Falcons’ won’t get much of a break after their win. With the Knights heading out of town, the Cowlitz Black Bears are heading in to play visitors at Elks Stadium. That series starts Friday at 6:35.

Story courtesy of Matt Inglis – Falcons Media

Photo courtesy of  Matt Inglis

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