Emeralds Close out Opening Weekend with Series Sweep
NWL Eugene Emeralds

Emeralds Close out Opening Weekend with Series Sweep

Published on April 5, 2026 under Northwest League (NWL)
Eugene Emeralds News Release


EUGENE, OR - The Ems were able to close out Opening Weekend with a 6-4 victory over the Hillsboro Hops to complete the sweep against their in-state rivals.

The Ems got the scoring started for the 2nd straight contest. Jack Payton was making his 2026 Ems debut and crushed a no-doubt home run to left field to put the Ems on the scoreboard early. It didn't take long for the Hops to answer back in the top of the 3rd. Adrian Rodriguez drew an 8 pitch walk before Trent Youngblood singled to set up a big at bat against Yassel Soler. Soler roped a laser down the line to bring home both base runners and give the Hops their first lead since Friday night.

Eugene flipped the script in the 4th inning to reclaim the lead. Trevor Cohen led off the frame with a single before swiping 2nd base for his 1st stolen base of the year. Kilen followed it up by drawing a 5 pitch walk to put the go-ahead run on with nobody out. A few batters later Zane Zielinski hit a groundout that brought home Cohen from 3rd to tie up the game. The very next batter, Ty Hanchey, crushed a 2-run home run to right field. It was Hanchey's first game back from injury since September 7th 2024. It was an incredible moment for him and the dugout was beyond excited when he made his way back to the dugout.

It was a quiet 5th inning for both squads before Eugene pushed home a run in the 6th. Kilen and Payton singled to start the inning and Zielinski picked up another RBI, this time on a sac-fly to right field to give the Ems 5-2 advantage.

The Hops wouldn't go quietly into the night as they scored 2 runs in the 7th inning to cut the lead to just 1 run. Wallace Clark drew a leadoff walk before Trent Youngblood singled and advanced into 2nd base on an error. After a strikeout against Soler, Brady Counsell ripped a 2-out single to plate a pair of runs.

The Ems needed some momentum heading into the final innings and Payton delivered exactly that. He crushed his 2nd home run of the game in the bottom of the 8th to give the Ems a little bit of breathing room. Ryan Vanderhei took over in the 8th inning and after allowing a leadoff double he recorded 6 straight outs to convert his first save opportunity of the season.

Yunior Marte made his Ems debut tonight and qualified for the win after taking over on the mound to start the 4th inning. He hurled 4 innings and allowed just 2 hits and 2 runs, although only one of them was earned. He walked 3 batters and struck out 3 to close out a strong first showing.

Eugene now sits at 3-0 to start the 1st half in the Northwest League, joining the likes of the Tri-City Dust Devils who are the only unbeaten team other than the Ems. Eugene will now get ready to head up north of the border tomorrow to prepare for a 6-game series against the Vancouver Canadians. While Vancouver is 0-3 to start the year, Nat Bailey stadium is never an easy one to win games in let alone the first road trip of the year. It'll be a great test for this young team after a great Opening Weekend.

First pitch is set for next Tuesday at 7:05 PM. No starting pitchers have yet been announced for the first game of the series.

The Eugene Emeralds are the High-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants. The Eugene Emeralds are dedicated to providing the best in family entertainment and creating a fun, safe environment for everyone to enjoy watching a baseball game.

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Northwest League Stories from April 5, 2026


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