Heyman Bids Adieu to Hops' 4-Game Slide
August 23, 2015 - Northwest League (NWL1)
Hillsboro Hops News Release
HILLSBORO, OR - After a tough couple of days in Hillsboro, the smoke finally cleared. Shelley Duncan turned to Troy Marks and the former independent league pitcher who has made starts this season at Reno, Mobile, Visalia, and Kane County, turned out to be exactly what Hillsboro needed to snap their season-long four game slide. Marks provided six solid innings of one-run ball, and a late two-RBI single by Grant Heyman allowed the Hops to steal the first game of a five game series with the Tri-City Dust Devils 2-1.
The Hillsboro (36-27, 14-11) offense appeared stuck in neutral for yet another game, and facing a 1-0 deficit in the bottom of the eighth, it looked like the Hops were going to have their fifth consecutive loss hung on them. Hillsboro just wasn't going to let it happen.
Tri-City (33-30, 11-14) hurler Luis Hernandez issued a one-out walk to second baseman Sergio Alcantara, and shortstop Dansby Swanson followed with a double -- his second of the game -- to move Alcantara to third. Tri-City moved the infielders in, hoping to cut down the tying run at the plate. They wouldn't have a chance after left fielder Grant Heyman lofted a soft liner to left center over the drawn-in infield to plate Alcantara and Swanson. Just like that, the Hops were in the driver's seat with a 2-1 lead.
However, the Hops wouldn't have had a chance to take a late lead were it not for Marks' masterful start. His last start was on August 15 for the Visalia Rawhide, where he recorded a win against the Stockton Ports with five innings of one-run ball. Tonight, Marks was perfect through 5.1 innings, retiring the first sixteen batters he faced.
The Dust Devils would break through against him in the sixth when Kodie Tidwell hit a ground ball shot back to Marks with one out and the bases loaded. Marks knocked it down, but could only get the out at first. That would be the only run yielded as he retired Jose Carlos Urena on a fly-out to right with runners on second and third to end the threat.
Tucker Ward followed Marks to make his Hillsboro debut and threw a scoreless seventh inning. Breckin Williams did the same in the eighth, and managed to pick up the win after the late Hops' rally.
Brody Greer was again dominant in the ninth, recording a perfect inning to pick up his third save and drop his ERA to 0.98 on the season.
With the monkey off their backs, the Hops will look for another win over these same Dust Devils tomorrow. It's a 7:05 PM Monday start time at Ron Tonkin Field. Catch pregame radio at 6:35 PM on Rip City Radio 620 AM and at www.ripcityradio.com.
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