Eugene Sweeps Hops in Power Show
Published on June 21, 2021 under Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release
Andy Yerzy hit what may have been the longest home run in P.K. Park history Sunday night, but the Eugene Emeralds hit four bombs of their own, including a go-ahead three-run shot by Brandon Martorano in the seventh inning of a 7-5 win over Hillsboro.
The win gave Eugene (26-15) a sweep of the six-game series as the Hops (16-24) matched a franchise worst six-game losing streak. The last five losses have come in games where Hillsboro had the lead.
The latest bullpen implosion once again featured the usually ultra-reliable Nick Snyder (1-3). The tall lefty from West Virginia University entered the game with Hillsboro leading 3-2 and promptly walked the first two batters to face him. Falling behind Tyler Flores 2-0, the lefthanded slugger surprisingly tried to drop a bunt on a 2-1 pitch and fouled it off. Momentum broken, Flores fanned and Snyder struck out Heath Quinn. One out away from escaping the jam, Martorano, a second-year catcher out of the University of North Carolina, hit a towering shot to deep left that just cleared the wall and Dominic Canzone 's glove to put the Emeralds on top. Will Wilson followed with a home run of his own, his eighth of the season and the fourth of the night for the Ems, who had scored all of their runs on homers to that point in taking a 6-3 lead.
Yerzy put the Hops on the board by leading off the second inning with a majestic, towering blast to right field that cleared the peak of the roof of the player development area. He is believed to be the first player to do that in a game in the 12-year history of the facility. But Eugene slugger Franklin Labour would send a historic shot of his own out to left field, clearing the scoreboard with a 458-foot blast to tie the game.
The teams continued to play home run derby as Tristin English hit his first home run of the season to lead off the fourth putting the Hops back on top. They added a run on a Tra Holmes RBI single to make it 3-1, before Hops starter Kenny Hernandez surrendered his second gopher ball, this time to Armani Smith with one out in the fourth inning to make it 3-2.
Those were the only two hits Hernandez allowed in 5 1/3 innings as he struck out five and walked three in his second start of the series. Mitchell Stumpo retired the final two batters in the sixth before Snyder's disastrous seventh, which came just three days after he faced four Eugene batters and failed to get an out in a nine-run sixth inning in a 10-9 loss.
Trailing 7-4, the Hops would bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth against Eugene southpaw Chris Wright, who allowed his first Emeralds run after walking Leodany Perez and giving up an RBI single to Buddy Kennedy with one out. But Wright, who came in averaging over 20 strikeouts per nine innings, fanned Canzone and retired Blaze Alexander on a pop up to nail down his third Emeralds save and seventh in as many chances this season.
John Timmins (2-0) picked up the victory with a scoreless seventh inning, striking out one and walking one.
Kennedy extended his hitting streak to ten games with a pair of singles and a walk. Yerzy scored two runs and Tra Holmes went 2-for-4.
The Hops fall 9 1/2 games back of the High-A West League-leading Emeralds, who now own a 1 1/2 game lead over Everett. Hillsboro returns to Ron Tonkin Field Tuesday against the Spokane Indians in the first game of a six-game series at 7:05 p.m.
Northwest League Stories from June 21, 2021
- 'Sox Split Series against C's, 7-1 - Everett AquaSox
- Labour Named High-A West Player of the Week - Eugene Emeralds
- Dust Devils Suffer Father's Day Loss - Tri-City Dust Devils
- Ems Complete Sweep on Homer-Filled Father's Day - Eugene Emeralds
- Eugene Sweeps Hops in Power Show - Hillsboro Hops
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