NWL1 Hillsboro Hops

Hawks Drop Hops Into First Place Tie

August 10, 2016 - Northwest League (NWL1)
Hillsboro Hops News Release


The Hillsboro Hops came into Tuesday's series-opener at Boise riding a five-game power wave of home run prowess. The Hawks went another direction to hand Hillsboro its second consecutive defeat.

Boise (6-6 2nd half, 22-28 overall) got big defensive plays from all three outfielders and error-free play all-around to defeat the Hops 5-2 in the series opener at Bill Campbell Field in Boise.

Left fielder and leadoff batter Steven Linkous went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored and threw out Justin Chigbogu at the plate in the 4th inning as the Hops designated hitter tried to score on a Manny Jefferson single to left. That ended the inning and preserved a 3-2 lead. Chigbogu was ejected from the game after a confrontation with Boise catcher Wilkyns Jimenez following the play. He was 2-for-2 with a double and scored a run before departing.

Earlier in the inning, Boise center fielder Daniel Suero made a running diving catch to rob Luke Lowery of a base hit. Chigbogu followed with his double and, after Alexis Olmeda walked, Jefferson sent a screamer into left field for a base hit. Chigbogu got the wave home but Linkous's throw got to catcher Wilkyns Jimenez on the fly and beat the big guy by a good ten feet. On his way back to the dugout, Chigbogu bumped into Jimenez and words were exchanged. Only Chigbogu was given the heave-ho as Hops manager Shelley Duncan argued vehemently to no avail.

Starting pitcher Bo Takahashi (2-1) suffered his first loss for Hillsboro (7-5, 26-24) in his longest outing for the Hops, going 6 1/3 innings, with five earned runs allowed on six hits. He struck out six and walked three. The Hops bullpen, taxed during the previous series at Everett, needed the Brazilian righty to eat some innings and he accomplished that mission.

But in the seventh, the Hawks put two aboard on a walk to Suero and a base hit by Linkous. With the runners at second and third and reliever Riley Smith on the mound, Luis Castro worked a full count walk and Garrett Hampson followed with a base hit to center field on an 0-2 pitch. Both Linkous and Castro scored as Castro was caught in a rundown and tagged out. The insurance runs seemed huge at the time, but were not needed.

Hillsboro had threatened to tie the score in both the sixth and seventh innings, but after Lowery's two-out double in the sixth, Josh Anderson grounded out to third base. In the seventh, Connor Owings doubled to the right field wall with one out, but Adam Walton was retired on a foul fly to right, Boise right fielder Willie Abreu running a long way to make a catch on the warning track as he slid to the fence.

Antonio Santos (3-4) improved to 2-0 against the Hops, pitching seven full innings with five strikeouts, one walk, seven hits and two earned runs allowed. Julian Fernandez loaded the bases in the ninth on a hit and two walks before recording his NWL-leading ninth save by getting Walton to fly out to Suero in center.

Boise scored a run in the first inning when Linkous led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on Castro's fly to right and scored Hampson's sacrifice fly to center. The Hops answered with back-to-back sacrifice flies in the second inning from Olmeda and Jefferson and after back-to-back base hits from Lowery and Chigbogu to open the inning.

Willie Abreu led off the bottom of the secon with a triple and scored on Wes Jones' RBI single to tied the game 2-2. After Antony Brito walked, a Jimenez bunt moved Jones to third. He scored the go-ahead run on Suero's grounder to the right side.

Lowery, the NWL Player Of The Week last week, went 2-for-4 with a run scored for Hillsboro. Hampson went 2-for-3 with three RBI and stole his NWL-leading 22nd base in the seventh.

The Hops and Hawks play game two of the series Wednesday night at 6:15 p.m. PS T. Pregame airtime is at 5:45 p.m. on Rip City Radio 620 AM.

Check out the Hillsboro Hops Statistics



Northwest League Stories from August 10, 2016


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