Not only are the Corvallis-based Oregon State Beavers ranked No. 1 in the NCAA and on a 23-game winning streak into the on-going 2017 College World Series in Omaha, but the Corvallis Knights are again atop the summer-collegiate West Coast League.
After setting a league regular-season record with 40 wins in 54 games last season, there were high hopes in the Victoria HarbourCats camp of meeting the Knights in the 2016 WCL playoff final. But the Bellingham Bells had other plans in the North Division final as they upset the HarbourCats, before going on to lose to the Knights in last year鈥檚 league final.
The HarbourCats and Knights belatedly met Tuesday night at Royal Athletic Park with the HarbourCats prevailing 4-2 victory before 1,473 fans.
The Knights, again a factor, are 10-6 while the HarbourCats moved to 9-8.
The form chart had it as a literal tall tale of the mound as two lanky 2016 MLB draft picks started the game. Six-foot-five southpaw A.J. Block, a Chicago Cubs selection from the Pac-12 Washington State Cougars, put his 2-0 record on the line for the Victoria HarbourCats. The Corvallis Knights answered with six-foot-three, 16th round Milwaukee Brewers pick Louis Crow from the University of San Diego.
Both got no decisions as Block went four complete innings with two hits and two runs allowed with four strikeouts and one walk. Crow also had a decent outing with four hits and two runs allowed with eight strikeouts and no walks over seven complete innings.
The HarbourCats received outstanding relief pitching from the five hurlers who came out of the bullpen, with Jack Tagget taking the win among that fine ensemble performance.
A two-out RBI double by Po-Hao Huang scored D.J. Porter from second to give Victoria the winning run at 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Huang was in turn driven in by a single from Davis Wendzel of the Baylor Bears.
The big earlier hit for Victoria was Riley Zayicek鈥檚 soaring two-run homer in the fourth inning to score Huang and tie the game 2-2. Zayicek is a slugger from Charlotte, North Carolina, who has two of Victoria鈥檚 four homers on the season.
鈥淚 have not hit a ball like that in awhile. I crushed it,鈥� said Zayicek, who hit five homers for NC-Wilmington this season in the NCAA.
鈥淭his [Royal Athletic] is not a big park but the ball doesn鈥檛 fly well to right field for left-handed hitters like me . . . not as well as it flies to left field.鈥�
Coming coast to coast, never mind crossing a border, has been an eye-opener for Zayicek.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really different here and I鈥檝e learned a lot of things. And the weather during games is a little bit chillier and cooler than I鈥檓 used to,鈥� he said.
But Zayicek sure turned up the temperature on the Knights Tuesday night.
The HarbourCats continue their three-game set tonight at Royal Athletic Park against the Knights.
