The Corvallis Knights shut out the Bellingham Bells 5-0 on Monday night in Corvallis to secure the 2022 West Coast League Championship, making it their sixth consecutive title victory. The Bells managed just three hits in the loss, against a Knights team that ranked first in pitching during the regular season.

Corvallis received a strong performance by cleanup hitter Logan Johnstone, who went 2-4 with 2 RBIs and a run. They spread the shutout performance out between four pitchers, with Kaden Segel earning the win for his 3.1 scoreless innings with 6 K’s.

The Knights came out strong, scoring a single run in each of the first three innings. Two of them were driven in by Johnstone, and the other was scored by Mason Le, who advanced from first to home in one play when the Bells committed two key throwing errors.

Corvallis extended their lead in the fifth, when a Johnstone double and a Briley Knight walk put runners on the corners. Johnstone went on to score off a ground ball by Tyler Quinn to put the Knights up 4-0. Knight would hit a sac fly in the seventh inning that gave Corvallis their final run, and solidified a dominant performance to secure the season title.

Jack Erdman took the loss for the Bells, opening the game with two innings and two runs allowed, just one earned. Noah Meffert, Walker Burchfield and Touissaint Bythewood all managed singles, but none were able to advance past second base. Bellingham finished with as many hits (3) as they had errors.

The Bells cap off a stellar summer, in which they owned the best record in the WCL over the first half of the season and won the North Divisional Championship. They boasted a wide variety of players over the course of the season, all anchored by an A-1 pitching staff.

“93. That’s what I’m going to remember. 93 different names, 93 different faces all contributed to this season, and I’m grateful for every single one of them,” interim head coach Haydan Hastings said after the loss. “I’ve got five guys on this roster that made it to the championship game that have been here Day One, and those guys have a special place in my heart.”