NWL Hillsboro Hops

Hops Fall Shy 8-6 Despite Late Inning Comeback

Published on August 27, 2021 under Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release


After back-to-back wins, the Hillsboro Hops fell to the Vancouver Canadians 8-6 in the third game of the series. The Hops led going into the fourth, but the Cs put up a three-spot in consecutive innings to take control of the ballgame. Hillsboro's offense made things interesting in the later innings but fell just shy of the comeback win.

The Canadians got off to a loud start when Rafael Lantigua drilled a lead-off homer against Hops' starter Collin Sullivan. After the blast, Sullivan settled in nicely, retiring seven in a row while allowing the lone run over the first three frames.

In the bottom of the third, good base running, and a couple fielding miscues by Vancouver helped Hillsboro take a 2-1 lead. Nick Dalesandro led off and dribbled a groundball to shortstop Orelvis Martinez who hesitated on the throw to first, leading to an infield single. The Hops recorded another infield single when Elijah Greene hit the ball in the hole between second and third, easily beating out the throw from Martinez. After Leodany Perez was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Jorge Barrosa hit what should have been a routine fly ball to left field that ended up being misplayed by Lantigua. The play cost the Cs two runs and Barrosa was credited with a two-RBI double.

Sullivan abruptly fell out of his groove in the top of the fourth, allowing the first four batters of the inning to reach base. After Will Robertson tied the game with a single and Davis Schneider walked, Sullivan was pulled after loading the bases with nobody out. Josh McMinn was called on to stop of the bleeding but responded by walking two of the next three batters, giving the Cs a 4-2 lead.

McMinn continued to struggle in the top of the fifth despite recording the first two outs of the frame. Robertson started the two-out rally with a walk for Vancouver and then three straight hits chased McMinn from the contest. Kai-Wei Lin came into pitch and was able to escape without allowing further damage, but the Cs drove in three to extend their lead to 7-2.

The Canadians added a run in the top of the eighth, but the Hops responded with three of their own in their half of the frame. Tristin English led off with a walk and back-to-back singles from A.J. Vukovich and Cam Coursey loaded the bases. With one out now, Dalesandro delivered a two-run double that breathed life back into the club. Greene brought the Hops a run closer with an RBI groundout to make the score 8-5.

Entering the ninth, Mailon Arroyo tossed a critical one-two-three inning to keep Hillsboro in the game. The Hops continued to fight in the bottom of the ninth. Another fielding blunder by Martinez resulted in Barrosa coming aboard to start the inning. Ronny Simon came through with a clutch ground ball double down the left field line to close the gap to 8-6. The Hops' rally continued when English singled to put runners at the corners still with nobody out. The comeback was not meant to be though as Spencer Brickhouse struck out and Vukovich bounced into a game-ending double play. The win gave the Cs their first of the series, but the Hops still control a 2-1 series lead.

Hillsboro (44-54) will continue their series against Vancouver (45-54) tomorrow at 7:05 pm. Catch all the action on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.RipCityRadio.com with the pregame coverage beginning at 6:50.

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Northwest League Stories from August 27, 2021


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