Hops End First Half 33-33 with Loss at Tri-City
Published on June 20, 2025 under Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release
PASCO, WASH. - The Hillsboro Hops are eager to move on and get the second half started.
Eight days ago, the Hops were knocked off their perch in the Northwest League, falling out of first place after spending more than two months atop the league. On Tuesday their first-half title hopes came to an end. And on Thursday, they finished the half with their third straight loss to the previously struggling Tri-City Dust Devils, a 3-2 defeat at Gesa Stadium. The final three games of the series at Tri-City (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) are the first three games of the second half.
Hops right-hander Daniel Eagen, the Northwest League leader in ERA (2.77 entering the game), allowed a pair of solo home runs in the bottom of the first inning, to Arol Vera and Matt Coutney. It was just the second and third home runs he had allowed in 53 frames this season. (The first, also hit by Coutney, came back in April.)
The Hops wasted a pair of singles to begin the second inning, and again had two singles (by Kevin Sim and Jean Walters) to begin the third. Two outs later, with runners still at first and second, Ryan Waldschmidt hit a sinking liner to center. Tri-City center fielder David Calabrese tried to make a sliding back-hand grab and the ball hopped past him. When the dust had settled, Sim and Walters had scored to tie the game 2-2, and Waldschmidt was on second with a double. It was the Hops' first extra-base hit of the series, and their first hit with runners in scoring position in the series. (Alas, they would have no more of either the remainder of the game, and Hillsboro is now just 1-for-25 with runners in scoring position after three games in Pasco.)
Eagen issued his only walk of the game to Cole Fontenelle leading off the fourth inning. Two pitches later, Fontenelle stole second and advanced to third on Kenny Castillo's throw into center. With none out and the infield in, Eagen struck out Coutney and Randy DeJesus. And with two out, he had Rio Foster in an 0-2 hole, only to uncork a breaking ball in the dirt that squirted away from Castillo. Fontenelle dived home just as Castillo tossed it back to Eagen, and plate umpire Kaden Tichenor ruled Fontenelle safe on a very close play. It was 3-2 Dust Devils.
Eagen worked four innings, allowing three runs (all earned) on three hits, with one walk and nine strikeouts. He leads the league with 80 Ks.
Tri-City starter Ryan Costieu- 0-8 on the season across High-A and Double-A- settled down after allowing the two-run third, retiring nine of the last 10 he faced. Right-handers Carlos Espinosa and Sandy Gaston each worked 1-2-3 innings in relief of Costieu. And fellow righty Max Gieg came on to start the ninth in search of his second save.
Gieg struck out Waldschmidt for the second out of the ninth, but Waldschmidt reached base on a wild pitch when strike three got away from catcher Peter Burns. Speedy outfielder Slade Caldwell pinch-ran for Waldschmidt and three pitches later swiped second base.
With the tying run at second and one out in the ninth, Gieg retired Jackson Feltner on a hard-hit grounder to Fontenelle at third. Druw Jones came up and battled Gieg for 11 pitches- fouling off five pitches with two strikes- before Gieg finally struck him out on a fastball to end the game.
Everett and Vancouver both won, and both teams finished the half 37-29... but Everett, by virtue of a 7-5 first-half head-to-head record against Vancouver, holds the tiebreaker. Everett has secured the first-half title and a playoff spot in September. The Hops' 33-33 mark places them in third place, four games out of first. Eugene (32-24) finished five games out, Tri-City (30-36) seven games out, and last-place Spokane (29-37) eight games back. (With nine games remaining in the half, Spokane was just one game out of first, but they dropped all nine games.)
The second half kicks off on Friday at 7:05PM. Airtime from Gesa Stadium will be at 6:50PM on Rip City Radio 620AM and at www.RipCityRadio.com.
Northwest League Stories from June 20, 2025
- Three-Run Seventh Downs C's in Eugene - Vancouver Canadians
- Everett AquaSox Clinch NWL First Half Title - Everett AquaSox
- Tri-City Takes Third Straight off Hillsboro - Tri-City Dust Devils
- Hops End First Half 33-33 with Loss at Tri-City - Hillsboro Hops
- C's Wrap First Half with 9-5 Win - Vancouver Canadians
- Emeralds Drop 1st Half Finale to Vancouver - Eugene Emeralds
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