Ems' Pitching Staff Dominates with 17 Consecutive Outs to Lift Eugene to a Series Victory
NWL Eugene Emeralds

Ems' Pitching Staff Dominates with 17 Consecutive Outs to Lift Eugene to a Series Victory

Published on July 18, 2026 under Northwest League (NWL)
Eugene Emeralds News Release


EUGENE, OR - The Emeralds defeated the Hillsboro Hops by a final score of 3-1 to clinch the series victory. Eugene has now won three straight games and jumped back up above .500 in the second half with a 12-11 record. The Ems are now 14-3 against the Hops this season.

For the second straight game the Hops got the scoring started with a run in the second inning. For the second straight night, the second inning proved to be the only run production in an inning for the Hops. Jose Mejia hit a leadoff single and Yassel Soler brought him home on a double to give the Hops the 1-0 advantage.

All three of the Ems runs came in the bottom of the fifth. Jakob Christian led off the inning with a 471-foot home run to straight away center field that left his bat at 112.1 mph. Walker Martin and Robert Hipwell followed it up with a pair of singles before the next two batters hit into fielder's choices. That brought up Carlos Gutierrez with two outs and two runners on, and he punished the Hops with a double down the third base line that gave the Ems the 3-1 lead.

That proved to be all of the scoring in tonight's game as they closed it out by that final score. The pitching staff combined for one of their most dominant outings of the season on the mound. Jacob Bresnahan picked up his third win after spinning five innings while allowing just one run and striking out seven. Mauricio Estrella pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball while striking out four and Ryan Slater closed it out with a 5 out save. The Ems pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts and issued just one walk. At one point in the game they retired 17 consecutive Hops hitters between the second and the eighth inning.

It was another great team victory for the Ems as they clinched another series victory against the Hops. They've won three games in a row and will look to complete the series sweep tomorrow evening. Niko Mazza will get the starting nod with first pitch slated for 4:05 PM.

#RootedHere

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Northwest League Stories from July 18, 2026


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