NWL Hillsboro Hops

Bombs Away in Old Bailey, Hops Cruise 7-1

Published on August 28, 2022 under Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release


After five days of high drama in the Lower Mainland, the Hillsboro Hops left little to doubt Saturday night.

The Hops erupted for four runs in the first inning, including back-to-back home runs by A.J. Vukovich and Neyfy Castillo and cruised to a 7-1 win over the Vancouver Canadians in front of another packed house at Nat Bailey Stadium.

Vukovich broke out of a week-long slump on Thursday and has continued to mash. His two-run blast to left field followed a Deyvison De Los Santos sacrifice fly and gave the Hops a 3-0 first inning lead. Vukovich added a double and a single, stole three bases and smashed a ball to left field in his final at bat in the eighth inning, needing a triple for the cycle. Glenn Santiago was able to run down the sinking liner.

Dahian Santos (0-2), a 19-year-old right hander who had risen from 28th to 12th on mlb.com's Blue Jays top prospect list based on his performance at low-A Dunedin, has found the high-A Northwest League a bit more challenging. Chased off the mound in the first inning after a disastrous debut in Everett a week ago, Santos immediately found trouble Saturday night after walking Ryan Bliss and surrending an infield hit to Caleb Roberts. The two Hops stalwarts pulled off a double-steal before De Los Santos drove a Santos pitch to the warning track in right to plate Bliss. Vukovich followed with his third home run in as many games, then Neyfy Castillo made it back-to-back jacks, clearing the wall in left to give Hillsboro a 4-0 lead.

Hillsboro starting pitcher Avery Short ran into trouble of his own in the first, but found his way out. Short walked the first two Vancouver batters of the game on eight pitches, but then found a groove, retiring 13 consecutive Canadians after leaving Dasan Brown and Andres Sosa standing at second and third.

Alex De Jesus broke up the no-hitter with a one-out double in the fifth inning and Short struck out Jommer Hernandez before being lifted from the game after 57 pitches, one out from qualifying for the win. Gerald Ogando came on to face the number nine hitter, Glenn Santiago, who blasted a ball to deep left center. Roberts and Vukovich gave chase with Roberts making a full-speed, diving backhand snag just shy of the warning track, undoubtedly one of the best defensive plays of the year for Hillsboro.

Vukovich doubled and scored the Hops fifth run on a sacrifice fly by Gavin Logan in the third inning, then Bliss showed off his wheels in the fourth, scoring all the way from first base on a stolen base attempt when catcher Jommer Hernandez's throw went awry. The Canadians dawdled getting the ball back to the infield and after pausing at third base, Bliss made a break for it and scored easily.

Vancouver's only run came in the sixth inning, when cleanup hitter Rainer Nunez hit a scorching, one-hop grounder to first that deflected off the knee of Jarrod Watkins, allowing the speedy Brown to score from second base after the ball ricocheted into foul territory near the Hops' on-deck circle. Watkins finished the inning in the field, but gave way to a pinch-hitter in the seventh, with Fox Semones delivering a 2-out, RBI single, Vukovich scoring his season-high-tying third run of the night.

Vukovich is now 8 for his last 13 following a 3-for-28 slide. During that stretch, the former high school basketball star from Wisconsin has a double, three home runs, six RBI and five runs scored. He has a hit, run, home run and RBI in three consecutive games and now leads the NWL in RBI with 63.

The Canadians' threatened in the seventh against Hops reliever Justin Martinez (1-2), who walked two and hit one to load the bases, but caught three batters looking at strike three, including Damiano Palmegiani to end the inning, preventing the Caracas-born, Surrey, BC raised slugger from hitting his third grand slam against the Hops this season. Martinez lit up the Nat Bailey Stadium radar gun, hitting triple digits a handful of times with two pitches clocked at 102 mph, the highest recorded this season! Canadians manager Brent LaVallee took issue with a called third strike on Hernandez and was ejected.

The Hops and Canadians wrap up the series with another "Nooner At The Nat", scheduled for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch on Sunday. Pregame coverage begins at 12:50 p.m. on Rip City Radio 620 AM.

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Northwest League Stories from August 28, 2022


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