TUESDAY
■ SPRINGFIELD – Karsten Hansen was 2-for-3 with a double, RBI, and a walk while Hunter Meyer went 2-for-4 with a run and stolen base, but the Sweets scored three ninth-inning runs to win 6-3. The Drifters’ two-run ninth inning ended with the winning run at the plate. “We put way too much pressure on our pitching staff to be perfect,” Drifters head coach Jeff Lyle said. “Once we let our guard down, and we realized we didn’t have to swing at every pitch thrown, and we made some adjustments late in the game, it was much better, but just too late.” Pitcher Owen Cheyne gave the Drifters four scoreless innings, giving up four hits. Ezra James faced instant pressure in the fifth inning when the leadoff hitter tripled, and the Sweets soon opened the scoring on a passed ball. The RHP from SW Oregon Community College settled in, ending the inning with a strikeout and a lineout to strand two runners. The Sweets took a 2-0 lead after consecutive doubles to open the seventh inning
WEDNESDAY
■ SPRINGFIELD – The Drifters opened the game with a first-inning run and totaled 13 baserunners on the night during a 5-3 victory. Five Springfield pitchers combined to allow nine hits and only one walk. “We talked about it a little bit today – not enough to try to set any panic – but about punching first, about scoring first, and being able to play with the lead,” coach Lyle said. “Tonight, we did that. We took a little bit of pressure off the pitching staff, and the staff continued to do what they do.” The Drifters took advantage of Walla Walla miscues to score the opening run in the bottom of the first, with a no-out hit-by-pitch moving Hunter Meyer’s leadoff walk into scoring position. Meyer scored from third on a high fly ball by Johnny Elliot that fell in front of the right fielder for an RBI single. “I was honestly just trying to get a hit, but he didn’t throw me what I wanted, so I just left it,” Meyer said. “It felt pretty good to start off with a walk, start off hot, and I think that was a big first step.” Karsten Hansen starred in both halves of the eighth inning, erasing a runner in scoring position with a putout at second from shallow left field before hitting a leadoff triple to the warning track. Hansen tacked on the Drifters’ fifth run on a sacrifice fly. “That’s crazy how that happens in baseball, right? You make a great play, and then you lead off, and you do something special. He’s just doing a great job of letting the game come to him; he’s not pressing, and he has a very clear mindset right now,” Lyle said.
THURSDAY
■ See game story, “At the break: Drifters enjoying success at home this season,” Page 6.
FRIDAY
■ SPRINGFIELD – One week after Corvallis opened a three-game home sweep of the Drifters, Springfield erased any chance of suffering the same fate with a 10-1 win over the Knights in the series opener to secure their first home win against Corvallis since 2022. Four Drifters hitters had multi-RBI games, and Jack Klee held Corvallis to one run in 5.2 innings. “It’s super rewarding, especially with how hard our guys have been working,” coach Lyle said. “They’ve been sticking with the process, not letting bumps in the road bother them, and tonight I thought it was a complete game victory from everybody who touched the field, and also guys who didn’t touch the field supporting.” In his first start since June 28, Klee cruised through the first two innings for the Drifters, stranding one single at first base. “They were just awesome today, offensively and defensively, just picking me up all over the place, so I couldn’t be happier,” Klee said. Drifters WCL All-Star Michael Klein took the ball for the final 10 outs and held the Knights scoreless with three strikeouts.
SATURDAY
■ SPRINGFIELD – The Drifters won their second straight over the Knights, 11-0, thanks to a breakout performance from incoming freshman Kahaku Harrison and a combined shutout on the mound. Springfield took an early lead and never looked back as Rice University-bound Harrison went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. “I’m just excited and happy for Drifters nation,” coach Lyle said. “It’s the guys continuously improving, trying to get better in some aspect of the game every day, and when you’re getting run support like that, it makes pitching a lot easier.” Consecutive two-out singles by Cooper Mullens and Johnny Elliott derailed Corvallis starter Neal Burtis, and Mullens eventually scored the opening run on a walk by Preston Armstrong. Karsten Hansen then gave the Drifters a 3-0 lead with a single to left-center field. Harrison kept the pressure on Corvallis with a leadoff, two-strike single in the second inning. Nick Gimino moved Harrison up with a one-out single, and Mullens promptly brought him home with a single. Now up 4-0, Kaden Harris worked his third straight scoreless inning for the Drifters in the top of the third. Harris kept Springfield’s defense – which ranks tied for fourth in the West Coast League with a .967 fielding percentage – well-fed, forcing weak contact by batters through the first nine outs. Carlo Ramirez gave the Drifters a scoreless sixth inning in his team debut.
SUNDAY
■ SPRINGFIELD – The Drifters saw their four-game win streak end, falling to the Knights 5-3 in the series finale. The Drifters were looking to sweep Corvallis for the first time in team history. Friday’s 10-1 victory saw the Drifters break a home losing streak against Corvallis that dated to June 2022. Corvallis broke out of its team-wide slump in the top of the first inning, taking a 2-0 lead on a home run by Ethan Porter that barely cleared the center-field wall. Corvallis extended its lead in the third inning, effectively ending starter Trey Thompson’s. New Drifter Colin Gebler faced only four batters, retiring two of them, before departing the game and giving the newest Drifter, Gabe Howard, his team debut as well. Howard struck out two while recording four outs without allowing a baserunner.
Note: Capsules compiled and edited from information provided by Drifters interns Henry Light and Addison Cerezo.
