Hops Club Canadians, End Pair of Losing Streaks
May 2, 2025 - Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release
VANCOUVER, B.C. - The Hillsboro Hops ended their three-game losing streak --- and their ten-game losing streak in Vancouver dating to April 2024 --- with an emphatic 12-2 win over the Canadians at Nat Bailey Stadium on Thursday night. Hillsboro (14-10) pounded out a season-high 15 hits, including seven for extra bases, in securing their largest margin of victory in the 2025 season. They remain tied for first with Eugene 24 games into the Northwest League's 66-game first half pennant chase.
Coming off consecutive poor starts to start the six-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Hops were seeking a strong outing from starting pitcher John West. The 6'8" right-hander from Shrewsbury, Mass. delivered. He worked five strong innings, allowing three hits and two runs, with four walks and three strikeouts.
It wasn't without peril. The Hops committed errors in each of the first two innings behind West, but in each case compensated with a spectacular defensive play to keep Vancouver off the board. Third baseman Demetrio Crisantes made leaping catch to rob extra bases from the Canadians' Aaron Parker in the first, and center fielder Druw Jones made a sliding catch on a ball hit by Nick Goodwin to save a run and end the second.
The Blue Jays' top prospect, 19-year-old shortstop Arjun Nimmala, hit an impressive home run in the third for Vancouver, his league-leading sixth of the season. But it was the fourth inning that defined this game for West. The Canadians loaded the bases with none out, but West retired Brennan Orf on a liner to left, and then induced Goodwin to ground into an inning-ending double play. Vancouver came up empty.
With his pitch limit approaching, West pitched around a pair of walks in the fifth, allowing just one run, and striking out Sean Keys for the final out of the inning... just enough to qualify for the win.
In the meantime, the Hops' offense had built a big lead for him. Angel Ortiz had an RBI single in the second, and Ryan Waldschmidt homered leading off the fourth --- an even more impressive home run than Nimmala's. The Hops scored three in the fourth, three in the fifth (highlighted by another run-scoring single by Ortiz and a two-run double by Ben McLaughlin) and four more in the sixth (on a two-run single by Druw Jones, and RBI doubles by Ortiz and McLaughlin).
Ortiz finished 3-for-5 and McLaughlin 2-for-4, each driving home three runs. Waldschmidt, Crisantes, Jones, and Gavin Logan also each had two-hit games, as the bottom six batters in Hillsboro's order went 13-for-25. Crisantes scored four runs and Waldschmidt three. The Hops' seven extra-base hits were two more than their previous season high.
Vancouver native Eli Saul worked two scoreless innings in relief of West, allowing a par of singles. And Edgar Isea worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning, then pitched around a walk and a single in a scoreless ninth to finish the game.
Vancouver (12-12) fell into a three-way tie for third with Spokane and Tri-City, two games behind Hillsboro and Eugene.
The Hops will have a chance to pull even in the series in game four of the six-game set on Friday at 1:05PM. (Friday, Saturday and Sunday's games all begin at 1:05.) Friday's radio airtime will be at 12:50PM on Rip City Radio 620AM and at www.RipCityRadio.com.
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Northwest League Stories from May 2, 2025
- Ems' Bats Cool off as Everett Wins First Game of Series - Eugene Emeralds
- C's Drop 'Nooner to Even Series - Vancouver Canadians
- Hittin' Hops' Surge Continues - Hillsboro Hops
- Eugene Edges AquaSox at PK Park - Everett AquaSox
- Hops Club Canadians, End Pair of Losing Streaks - Hillsboro Hops
- Indians Get Past Dust Devils Late - Tri-City Dust Devils
- Middle Innings Doom C's in Loss - Vancouver Canadians
- Shane Rademacher Strikes out Career High 10 as Ems Win 3rd Straight - Eugene Emeralds
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