Emeralds Break up No-Hit Bid in the 8th Before Scoring 5 Unanswered Runs to Secure Victory against Hillsboro
NWL Eugene Emeralds

Emeralds Break up No-Hit Bid in the 8th Before Scoring 5 Unanswered Runs to Secure Victory against Hillsboro

Published on April 25, 2026 under Northwest League (NWL)
Eugene Emeralds News Release


HILLSBORO, OR - The Emeralds defeated the Hillsboro Hops by a final score of 5-2. The Emeralds were being no-hit through the first 7.1 innings of the game but after Walker Martin broke it up with a single, the Ems offense exploded for 5 unanswered runs en-route to their 5th straight victory this week. Eugene is now 16-4 to start the season and a perfect 8-0 against the Hops.

The teams were scoreless for the first 3 innings of tonight's game. Hillsboro was able to break the scoring open in the bottom of the 4th. Slade Caldwell drew a 1-out walk before Trent Youngblood also reached base to put a pair of runners on. That brought up Kenny Castillo who had a competitive at-bat against the Ems starter Luis De La Torre. On a 2-2 pitch he roped one down the 3rd base line to bring home both runners and give the Hops the 2-0 lead.

No more runs would be scored until the 8th inning as both pitching staffs were dueling. Hops starter John West had his best outing of the season to date, as he spun 4 hitless innings while striking out 5. Rocco Reid didn't allow a hit in his single inning of work before Hillsboro turned it over to Rio Britton, the former Oregon Duck. Britton made quick work of the Emeralds offense in the 6th and 7th inning as he retired all 6 batters he faced on only 23 pitches. That would all change however in the 8th inning.

Eugene was held hitless throughout the first 7.1 innings of tonight's contest. With 1-out in the 8th, Walker Martin smoked an 0-2 pitch through the right side of the infield for the Ems first hit of the game. It didn't take long for Eugene to then find their way on the scoreboard for the 1st time either, as Ty Hanchey crushed his 2nd home run of the season over the right field wall. Within 3 pitches, the Hops had not only blown their no-hit bid, but the Ems had also tied up the game.

That sent us to the 9th in a freshly tied game. Dakota Jordan wasted no time as he hit a leadoff home run 359 feet with an exit velocity of 107 mph over the fence to give the Ems the first lead of the game. After Jordan, Carlos Gutierrez and Zane Zielinski both tallied hits to put some insurance runs on base. Zander Darby sent a rocked through the right side of the infield to bring home Gutierrez and Walker Martin was able to reach on a fielding error that allowed Zielinski to score and give the Ems the 5-2 lead. In a mere matter of about 20 minutes, Eugene had stopped the no-hit bid and taken a 3-run advantage into the bottom of the 9th.

The unsung hero of tonight's game is Yunior Marte, who took over on the mound in the 5th. After walking the first batter he faced, he retired twelve batters in a row before issuing a walk to start the 9th. The Ems were able to get a double play before Trent Youngblood hit a single to keep the game alive. It didn't get to Marte as he quickly retired Castillo to give the Ems the 5-2 win.

Tonight was one of the best showings we've seen from this team all season, and it just shows how dangerous the offense can be even when struggling for the majority of the game. They'll now have a chance to complete their first 6-game series sweep of the season tomorrow. First pitch is currently slated for 1:05 PM with the Emeralds starting pitcher still yet to be announced.

#RootedHere

Check out the Eugene Emeralds Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Northwest League Stories from April 25, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central