Ems Bats Wake up Late After Early First Pitch against Hillsboro
NWL Eugene Emeralds

Ems Bats Wake up Late After Early First Pitch against Hillsboro

Published on April 23, 2026 under Northwest League (NWL)
Eugene Emeralds News Release


HILLSBORO, OR - Eugene was able to grit out the win against Hillsboro after they were shutout through 7 innings in the game. Eugene's bats were able to wake up after the early start time today in the 8th to help give the Ems their 3rd straight win this week. Eugene is now 14-4 in the 1st half and a perfect 6-0 against the Hops to start the 2026 season.

Niko Mazza was excellent in his start today as it was his 2nd consecutive start without allowing a run. He spun 5 innings and allowed just 1 hit and 3 walks while striking out 6 Hops batters. Wellington Aracena was great on the side for Hillsboro as he threw 4 scoreless innings against the Ems bats.

The Hops were able to get on the scoreboard in the 6th inning to break up the scoreless tie. Slade Caldwell led off the inning with a single and Yassel Soler drew a walk. After Trey Dillard got Yerald Nin to strikeout, Avery Owusu-Asiedu drew a walk as well to load up the bases. The next batter, Trent Youngblood, hit one deep enough to left field to bring Caldwell home for the first run of the afternoon.

For the 3rd straight game this week the Ems bats were able to put up multiple runs in the 8th inning. The first two games were via home runs, which wasn't the case today. Trevor Cohen drew a 1-out walk before Gavin Kilen tied up the game with his 9th extra-base hit of the season with a double to the gap. The next batter, Dakota Jordan, followed it up with a double of his own to bring Kilen home which gave the Ems their first lead of the game. It didn't stop there as Carlos Gutierrez singled to left field which allowed Jordan to score from 2nd base to give the Ems a 3-1 lead.

Austin Strickland was great in his outing today after taking over in the 7th inning. The Ems were trailing by a run and the inning started with consecutive singles and a hit by pitch to load up the bases for Hillsboro. Strickland was able to follow it up with 3 consecutive strikeouts swinging to keep it as a 1-run deficit for the Ems which proved to be very important before the 3-run frame in the 8th. He also worked his way around a pair of base runners in the 8th to keep Hillsboro scoreless in his 2 innings of work. Ryan Vanderhei took over in the 9th and after a leadoff walk to start he was able to retire the next 3 batters to convert on his 2nd save of the season.

It's been a great start to the week for Eugene as they'll now have a chance to clinch their 4th consecutive series victory heading into the weekend. First pitch tomorrow night is at 6:35 PM with Hunter Dryden on the mound for the Ems.

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. For more information, please visit our website at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or call the Emeralds front office at 541-342-5367.

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Northwest League Stories from April 23, 2026


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