A day after getting rained out, the Bells fell in an 11-inning thriller 5-3, to the defending WCL Champions, the Corvallis Knights.
In the eleventh inning, a single and a pair of bunts set the stage for the go-ahead runs, a two-out, two-RBI double off the bat of Dillan Shrum, and the Bells did not match them in the bottom of the frame.
A balk by starter Merle Rowan-Kennedy allowed the first run of the game, and a well-hit single up the middle gave up the second. Rowan-Kennedy worked his way out of the inning and limited the damage to the two runs.
Overall, Rowan-Kennedy gave up the two runs in 4+ innings, and gave up just five hits, while recording a strikeout.
The Bells were literal inches away from a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning when a Kody Hoese rip down the left-field line was ruled just foul by the umpire. The bases were loaded, and it would have surely given the Bells a 3-0 lead. Instead, the Bells were turned away on a pop-fly.
Cooper Misic came on in relief of Rowan-Kennedy in the fifth inning. He managed to work his way in and out of a jam. Misic threw two innings of scoreless relief, before Corvallis right-fielder Jordan Qsar ripped a no-doubter over the right field fence. Misic recovered to strike out the next batter, and ended with 3 innings of one-run ball.
Cason Cunningham, the lefty starter for Corvallis, had a very strong performance, giving up just three hits over his innings with an impressive 9 strikeouts.
The seventh inning was big for the Bells, as they clawed back to even the game. Ernie Yake reached on his second infield single of the day, and an overthrow on a Brendan McClary bunt moved him to third. A Colin Ridley sacrifice fly and an error by the Knights shortstop off the bat of Dean Lawson scored Yake and McClary respectively.
Left fielder Austin Pinorini then hit a soft flare that the shortstop misplayed for an infield hit, putting runners on first and second for clean-up hitter, Austin Shenton.
Shenton was the one who ultimately drew the Bells even, getting a hard-hit grounder up the middle that deflected off of the shortstop’s glove. That deflection let Lawson get all the way around from second, and tied the game up at 3-all.
Keenan Lum came in and threw four strong innings in relief, not giving up a run until the go-ahead double, and notched 4 strikeouts.
“I was really happy with Lum on the mound, we just gave away some freebies early,” manager Greg Goetz said.
The Bells had their hearts broken in the bottom of the ninth. After Lawson got aboard, Shenton absolutely demolished one, that just barely missed a home run to the deepest part of the park. After a play off the wall, the center fielder fired a bullet to the shortstop, who fired a bullet home, to just barely catch Lawson at home for the third out of the inning.
