Late Comeback Bid Falls Short in Hillsboro
July 1, 2019 - Northwest League (NWL1)
Eugene Emeralds News Release
Despite putting the tying run on base in the ninth inning, the Eugene Emeralds (7-10) once again fell at the hands of the Hillsboro Hops (11-6) in the series finale, 6-4, in front of 3,560 fans at Ron Tonkin Field.
The Emeralds could not quite find the big hit necessary to climb all the way back from an early deficit in another tight affair between the two Northwest League rivals.
For the second straight night, the Ems jumped out to an early lead. Facing Hops starter Michel Gelabert, Jake Slaughter and Danny Zardon both worked walks to set up Brandon Vicens. Vicens grounded a sharp roller to third baseman David Garza, who could not field it cleanly as the ball glanced off his glove and through his legs into left field. The error allowed Slaughter to score from second base to give the Ems a 1-0 lead.
The advantage would be short-lived, as the Hops immediately answered in the bottom of the second. Tristin English led off the frame with a walk off of Eugene starter Niels Stone. Garza then doubled to left to put runners on second and third. Nick Dalesandro then cracked a single to center, tying the game at one apiece. The rest of the inning would soon unravel.
A passed ball would score Garza from third, giving the Hops the lead. Later in the frame, the Ems nearly turned an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play, but Yonathan Perlaza's throw to first base was beat out by Ricky Martinez, allowing another run in before Andy Yerzy stepped to the plate. Yerzy crushed an 0-2 mistake from Stone, putting a cap on a five-run inning for the Hops.
The Emeralds would begin to chip away at the deficit in the fifth inning. Luis Diaz and Fernando Kelli both drew walks in the frame, and after each stole a base, Eugene had runners on second and third with two outs. With Americaan at the plate, Gelabert did not come to a complete stop in his stretch, with the base umpire assessing a balk, allowing Diaz to score from third. After the balk, Americaan bounced a slow roller up the middle, narrowly beating out the throw from shortstop Eddie Martinez, scoring Kelli to make it 5-3.
After the Hops added a run in the late innings, the Ems had one final opportunity in the top of the ninth to salvage the series, but ultimately, came up short.
Jake Slaughter started the inning by reaching on a throwing error from David Garza. Two quick outs then brought Slaughter to third with Luis Vazquez needing to come through and extend the game. Vazquez would single up themiddle, plating Slaughter. Jonathan Soto would then come on as a pinch hitter for Luis Diaz, cracking a single the opposite way to left, putting the tying run on base. Jose Gutierrez would pinch hit for Dalton Hurd, battling Erin Baldwin to a full count before succumbing to an upstairs fastball, finishing off the sweep for Hillsboro.
Niels Stone finished his brief start with 1.2 innings pitched while allowing five earned runs. Fauris Guerrero and Chris Allen both looked impressive out of the bullpen, keeping the Ems in the game. The relief duo combined for 6.2 innings pitched and just one run allowed while striking out six.
Michel Gelabert earned his second win of the season by going 5.0 innings and allowing only two earned runs. The lefty was shaky at times, giving up three base hits and walking five, but the Ems couldn't find the big hit as they went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Justin Garcia and Erin Baldwin would close out the game by throwing 4.0 innings out of the bullpen while allowing just one run.
The Emeralds now head northeast to Pasco, WA, ready to begin a three-game series with the Tri-City Dust Devils. The series will conclude a season-high nine-game road trip that has seen the Emeralds lose six-in-a-row. First pitch on Monday at Gesa Stadium is at 7:15pm PST and can be heard on 95.3 The Score.
Northwest League Stories from July 1, 2019
- Homestand Preview: July 1st to July 3rd - Spokane Indians
- AquaSox Lose Rubber Game in Tri-City - Everett AquaSox
- Offense Delivers in Blowout Victory - Tri-City Dust Devils
- Late Comeback Bid Falls Short in Hillsboro - Eugene Emeralds
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