Pippins Shine on Both Sides of Ball to Win Series Against Corvallis

Extra-base hits and dazzling pitching help Pippins take down Corvallis

The Yakima Valley Pippins offense showed renewed energy as they defeated Corvallis 10-1 to win the first series of the season Sunday night.

The Pippins struck early, with a trio of doubles in the second inning earning them a 2-0 lead. They would add one in the third inning after Connor Coballes singled, stole second base, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored when Jo Stevens grounded out.

Chase Graves showed another flash of power with two outs and the bases loaded, as he let loose a three-run triple to the warning track in right field to put the Pippins up 6-0.

Yakima starter Kenny Johnson threw six scoreless innings, striking out six and yielding just three hits. It was the longest outing of the year for him, as he was used primarily as a starter at Cal State Bakersfield.

Weston Janavs relieved him in the seventh inning, in his first taste of college action after Pomona-Pitzer did not play a season in 2021, striking out two in one inning of work to keep Corvallis scoreless.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Pippins added four more runs and batted around the order. Stevens walked with one out and scored on a Noah Williamson triple – his fourth extra-base hit in three games. Jake Hoskins committed his second error of the series, allowing Chaz Myers to reach first and Williamson to score on what would have been the third out of the inning.

The Pippins capitalized on the error, loading the bases with a single and a walk before Chase Graves walked to score the 10th Pippins run of the night.

Dann Blanchard pitched the final two innings in relief for his second appearance of the season, striking out two and giving up one unearned run.

The Pippins and Knights combined for 36 runs scored over the weekend series, with two 9-run games and one 8-run margin of victory. With a 2-1 record, Yakima is in a three-way tie for first place in the North Division with Walla Walla and Port Angeles. Corvallis fell to 1-2 with the loss, and now sits in the middle of the South Division.

The Pippins will rest Monday before heading to Bellingham for a three-game set. All three games will start at 6:35 p.m. and can be listened to at PippinsBaseball.com/Live.

By Chris Rosato Jr.

June 7, 2021