The Hillsboro Hops earned win 20 of the season thanks to a 12-8 victory over the Vancouver Canadians Wednesday night. This win comes off the back of a 3-2, 9th inning comeback win Tuesday night. The Hops are now 6-2 against the Canadians this season and 2nd overall in the Northwest League standings.
It was a tale of two halves at Ron Tonkin Field. The Hops would continue their momentum from their victory the night before with a strong start in the opening inning. A double play made by Tristan English, Ryan Bliss, and Spencer Brickhouse would help shut down the Canadians batters at the top of the 1st. In the bottom of the 1st, Tristan English would strike again. English would hit his third home run of the year, putting Hillsboro up 3-0 at the end of the 1st inning.
In the 2nd inning, Hillsboro’s defense stood firm. Vancouver was held scoreless once again thanks to a flyout and two strikeouts from pitcher Scott Randall. Meanwhile, the batters for the Hops were poised and ready. The first three batters for the Hops in the 2nd inning loaded the bases. A walk and a fielding error would follow to put the Hops up 5-0. Ryan Bliss would be able to sneak home after a force out at second base. However, Spencer Brickhouse would steal the show with a home run to cap off the 2nd inning. After a pitching substitution for Vancouver, the Canadians would be able to close out the inning, trailing by a score of 9-0.
The Hops would find three more runs between the 4th and 5th innings to go up 12-0 over the Canadians. However, the momentum would start to shift in the 6th inning. Miguel Hiraldo would get Vancouver on the board with at two run homer. In the 7th inning, 5 walked batters (one hit by pitch), and a single from Steward Berroa would net another 3 runs for the Canadians. Vancouver would find their sixth run off a miscue from newly subbed in pitcher Liu Fuenmayor, cutting the lead in half with two innings left.
A triple by Cameron Eden, plus a sac fly from Harrison Ray would help close the gap down to five runs for Vancouver in the 8th inning. However, the Canadians ran out of runway in the 9th inning. Anthony Morales would be the only runner to score for Vancouver in the final frame, making the final score 12-8.
The Hillsboro Hops continue their play against the Vancouver Canadians Thursday night at Ron Tonkin Field at 6:35 p.m.
Northwest Sports Desk 