CORVALLIS, Ore. (August 9, 2026) – A postseason return seven years in the making came down to one final night at Goss Stadium.

The No. 3 seed Sweets battled back from an early deficit, traded momentum through the middle innings and saw their 2026 season come to a close Sunday night with a 9-6 loss to the No. 2 seed Corvallis Knights in Game 3 of the WCL Divisional Semifinal.

The loss ended Walla Walla’s first postseason trip since 2019 and closed a summer that saw the Sweets return to the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history.

Corvallis scored first with one run in the second inning, but Walla Walla answered with its biggest inning of the night in the third.

Ronan Scoffield reached base to start the push, and Kyler Bittner followed to put two runners aboard. Gage Reeser then reached ahead of Sam Kane, who lined a two-run single into left field to give the Sweets a 2-1 lead.

Walla Walla kept the inning moving from there.

Gaines Haussin reached base, and Logan Nakamura followed with an RBI single into center field to bring Reeser home. Troy Osborne then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Haussin and giving the Sweets a 4-1 lead.

Corvallis answered with five runs in the bottom of the third to move back in front, but Walla Walla continued to fight.

Keagan Kelly reached in the fourth inning, and Bittner followed with his second hit of the night. Reeser then drove in Kelly with a sacrifice fly to right field, cutting the deficit to 6-5.

The Knights added one run in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the seventh, but Walla Walla put together one last push in the ninth.

Bittner started the inning with a single, and Reeser followed with an RBI single to left field to bring him home. The run cut the deficit to 9-6, but the Sweets could not complete the final comeback.

Bittner closed his postseason series with another strong game at the plate. After going 4-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs in Game 1, the third baseman added two more hits and scored twice in the finale.

Bittner finished the series 7-for-12 with five RBIs, a home run, a double and three runs scored.

Reeser drove in two runs in Game 3 with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single, while also drawing a walk. Kane added two RBIs with his third-inning single, and Nakamura and Osborne each drove in one run.

Scoffield singled, walked and scored, while Osborne also added a hit as Walla Walla finished with seven hits and four walks.

On the mound, Curtis Ellis made the start for the Sweets and worked three innings, striking out three.

Jacob Chandler followed with his deepest outing of the summer and gave Walla Walla a steady stretch out of the bullpen. The right-hander threw three innings, allowing one run on three hits without issuing a walk.

Chandler helped keep the Sweets within striking distance through the middle of the game and needed only 32 pitches to get through his outing.

Rudy Larson struck out two in the seventh inning, and Quade Gonzalez IV followed with a scoreless eighth. Gonzalez worked around a walk and kept Corvallis off the board in Walla Walla’s final defensive inning of the summer.

The loss ended the Sweets’ season one win short of the South Division title game, but it also closed a summer that brought playoff baseball back to Walla Walla for the first time in seven years.

Walla Walla finished the regular season as the No. 3 seed in the South Division, forced a decisive Game 3 against Corvallis, and gave the Sweets their fourth postseason appearance in franchise history.

Sweets baseball will return to Borleske Stadium in the summer of 2027!