Hops Drop Canadians in Near No-No
Published on August 8, 2025 under Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release
VANCOUVER, B.C. - The first-year starting pitcher solidified his status as frontrunner for Northwest League Pitcher Of The Year on Friday, throwing six no-hit innings against Vancouver for the second time this season in a 3-1 Hillsboro victory.
A shame that Eagen (6-5) didn't have his paperwork in order early in the season and missed the Hops first trip north of the border in April. In three starts since against the C's, Eagen has pitched 17 shutout innings and allowed just three hits with 24 strikeouts and six bases on balls.
After walking Vancouver leadoff batter J.R. Freethy on four pitches to start his outing, the 2024 Big South Pitcher Of The Year from Presbyterian College set down the next 18 batters consecutively, fanning ten.
Eagen departed the game with a 2-0 lead and the Hops added another run in the eighth inning against the Vancouver bullpen.
After Rocco Reid retired all six batters to face him in the seventh and eighth innings, Edgar Isea came out of the Hillsboro bullpen to try to nail down his second save of the week and finish the first Hops no-hitter since their inaugural season in 2013.
But Alexis Hernandez had other ideas. The Vancouver centerfielder smacked a 2-2 Isea pitch down the first base line for a solid single to right. Two batters later, after Isea hit nine-hole hitter Bryce Arnold with a pitch and gave up an 0-2 single to left to J.R. Freethy, not only was the no-hitter history, but the win was in doubt.
With three lefthanded batters due up, Hops manager Mark Reed removed Isea in favor of southpaw Carlos Rey, who made his NWL-leading 38th appearance of the season. Carter Cunningham smashed Rey's second pitch out to centerfield, but Slade Caldwell made a leaping catch as Hernandez tagged and scored from third.
Rey battled Sean Keys for nine pitches before dispatching the Canadians' third baseman with a high fastball for a called third strike. That brought the Toronto Blue Jays top-rated prospect, 19-year-old shortstop Arjun Nimmala to the plate. With the count 2-2, Nimmala hit a bouncer to shortstop and the Hops escaped with their third win in four games this week as Rey notched his fifth save.
A relief for Eagen, who saw the game get away from the Hops almost exactly one month ago when he handcuffed the Blue Jays' High-A affiliate for six no-hit innings only to watch the bullpen unravel. With a pitch limit to lessen the load in his first pro season, there was no chance that the Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina native would get an opportunity to become the second Hop ever to throw a no-hitter. Kyle Schepel no-hit the then-Cubs affiliate Boise Hawks on Aug. 31 in the Hops first season in 2013 and Hillsboro has not had a no-hitter since, whether solo or combined.
Eagen fanned the side in the fourth and sixth innings and finished with 10 K's, two off his season and career-high set in June against Spokane. Eagen's 122 strikeouts is one shy of league leader Konner Eaton of Spokane and his earned run average dropped to 2.68, behind only former Eugene hurler Shane Radamacher, who was promoted to AA Richmond on July 29. Eagen leads the league in opponent's batting average (.190) and his 12 strikeouts per nine innings pitched is two-and-a-half more than the number two qualified pitcher in the league, Eugene's Josh Bostick.
Vancouver starting pitcher Gage Stanifer (5-5) matched Eagen strikeout for strikeout, getting seven outs in a row at one point via the K. But Jansel Luis doubled off the Blue Jays' #5 prospect with one out in the first inning, followed by a broken-bat bloop RBI single by Druw Jones over the drawn-in first baseman Cunningham.
Three straight hits netted another run for the Hops in Stanifer's final inning of work as Ruben Santana beat out a grounder to third for his first Hops hit. Kevin Sim followed with a line shot to the opposite field and Caldwell laced a single to right for his third RBI of the week. The righthander from Indianapolis struck out ten and walked two, allowing five hits and two earned runs. The ten strikeouts matched a season and career-high.
Luis doubled for the second time in the game and fourth time in the series in the eighth inning off lefty reliever Kai Peterson. Angel Ortiz's two-out RBI single made it 3-0 Hillsboro. Luis has five extra-base hits this week and Ortiz has hit in all four games against the Canadians and nine of his last ten overall.
Luis, Santana and Caldwell all reached base twice for the Hops, who return to action Saturday night at 7:05. The game will air live on Rip City Radio 620 following NFL preseason football.
Northwest League Stories from August 8, 2025
- Batista and Suisbel Homer In 9-4 Sox Loss - Everett AquaSox
- Eugene Drops First Game in August to Spokane - Eugene Emeralds
- Hops Drop Canadians in Near No-No - Hillsboro Hops
- Kyle Karros Slated to Make MLB Debut Tonight - Spokane Indians
- C's Avoid No-No, Lose 3-1 - Vancouver Canadians
- Bilardello's Bashers Back at It in Second Straight Tri-City Win - Tri-City Dust Devils
- Arnold Terminates Hops in 4-1 Canadians Win - Hillsboro Hops
- Batista, Carter, Arnold Carry C's to Victory - Vancouver Canadians
- Dust Devils Take 2-1 Series Lead - Everett AquaSox
- Emeralds Rally from 3-Run Deficit in the 8th Inning as Charlie Szykowny Delivers Walk-Off Win in Extras - Eugene Emeralds
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
