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NWL Hillsboro Hops

Another Bullpen Blowup Costs Hops Series

July 17, 2023 - Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release


Piecing together a game with a collection of bullpen arms wouldn't seem to be an effective strategy for the Hillsboro Hops this season, but there they were, three outs away from winning their second road series at Everett this year.

Down 4-3 in the ninth, the AquaSox ripped four consecutive singles and sent the crowd of 3,479 at Funko Field home happy with a 5-4 win Sunday night.

The Frogs first three runs came on solo home runs. Cole Young, the Mariners' top pick in the 2022 draft, put Everett on the board with a third inning homer, then tied the game with an RBI single to right field in the ninth inning. Gabriel Gonzalez, who joined Everett along with Young prior to the series and is also a top 100 prospect, finished off the game with a hard ground ball past the drawn-in Hillsboro infield, scoring Victor Labrada with a game-winning run.

All four hits came off Hillsboro right hander Zach Barnes (2-4), who had pitched a scoreless eighth but could not record an out in the ninth, failing to record his first professional save.

Young finished a dominant weekend by reaching base five times for the second time in the series going 4-for-5 with two runs batted in. For the weekend, the Pittsburgh-area teen middle infielder went 7-for-11 with four runs, a triple and homer, four walks and zero strikeouts. Young delivered the tiebreaking blow in both Everett wins. Gonzalez also had hits in all three games, including a two-run double Friday, a three-run homer Saturday and a pair of hits on Sunday.

After Everett grabbed a 1-0 lead on the Young tater, the Hops answered with a run in the fourth. Kristian Robinson--formerly rated the top prospect in the Diamondbacks' system before legal troubles interrupted his career--beat out an infield hit, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and raced home on a pickoff throw to first base in what turned out to be a double-steal.

Robinson's RBI groundout capped a three-run Hillsboro fifth inning that opened with a David Martin solo home run. Wilderd Patino added an RBI single, reaching base four times for the second consecutive game.

Down 4-1, the AquaSox hit a pair of homers off Hillsboro left hander Emailon Montilla, a 27-year old making his Hops debut in the sixth inning. Harry Ford, the top-rated prospect in the Mariners' system, opened the inning with a home run to right and one out later Axel Sanchsz cleared the left field wall for his fifth home run of the season.

Montilla pitched a scoreless seventh, fanning three without a walk before turning the ball over to Zach Barnes, who fanned a pair of Frogs in the eighth around a two-out single. But Erik Stock opened the ninth with a base hit and the rest was history.

Kyle Hill (2-1) pitched a scoreless ninth, helped out by an outfield assist from Gonzalez, who gunned down Gary Mattis, Jr. trying to advance from first to third on a Martin single. The Hops would have had two on with none out and likely added to their one-run lead.

Patino reached base four times for the second consecutive game and stole two bases, giving him 34 on the season. Martin went 3-for-4 and fellow Hillsboro newcomer Juan Corniel had his second consecutive multi-hit game.

After an off day Monday, the Hops welcome the Eugene Emeralds to Ron Tonkin Field for a six-game series starting Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. Live coverage on Rip City Radio 620 and Bally Live begins at 6:50 p.m.

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Northwest League Stories from July 17, 2023


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