Bernstein Shines, But Pippins Fall to Corvallis

YAKIMA -- It’s been a week of pitching duels for the Yakima Valley Pippins. Thursday night, Andrew Bernstein shined for the Pippins, but Yakima Valley came up short in a 2-1 loss to Corvallis at County Stadium.

The Knights (19-15) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1^st inning, but the Pippins (18-16) answered back in the bottom of the frame on a two-out, RBI single from Mitch Skaggs to tie the game at 1.

Bernstein continued to battle with Corvallis starter Ryan Walker through the middle innings. The Knights broke through in the 4^th on a RBI single for Clay Fisher to restore a lead at 2-1. Bernstein and Walker continued to duel, both lasting eight innings on Thursday night. Bernstein allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, while Walker allowed the 1 run on 6 hits in the victory.

Yakima Valley had the tying run on 2^nd base in both the 8^th and 9^th innings, but was unable to capitalize against Corvallis and dropped a series opener for just the third time in 12 tries.

The loss marks Yakima Valley’s third straight, its first three-game losing streak of the season. The Pippins will try and even the series Friday night at 7:05 in the middle game of the series. It’s a battle of all-stars on the mound, as Darrion Simons and Slater Lee square off at The Orchard.

Listen in starting at 6:55 p.m. on 1460 ESPN Yakima.