Mariners' Top Prospects Do Damage in 9-3 Win over Hops
May 22, 2025 - Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release
Hillsboro, OR - The Everett AquaSox are the only team in MiLB with five top 100 prospects and those top prospects would make some noise on Wednesday night at Hillsboro Ballpark. Hillsboro beat Everett last night by a score of 7-2, but tonight it was the Mariners' affiliate who did the offensive damage. Seattle #7 prospect Michael Arroyo hit a three-run homer, M's #2 prospect Lazaro Montes hit a homer over the batter's eye for the second straight game and Colt Emerson and Tai Peete each had an RBI single in the Sox win over the Hops.Junior Franco went deep for the Hops, a three-run homer in the seventh inning.
Marcelo Perez entered the game for Everett with a 0.93 ERA and that would go down even further after Wednesday's five scoreless innings against the Hops. Casey Anderson made the start for Hillsboro and allowed four runs over 5.1 innings and 92 pitches.
Everett struck first with a three-run shot in the third inning my Michael Arroyo. Arroyo, who also homered against the Hops last season when Merrill Kelly was making an MLB rehab appearance, gave the Sox a 3-0 lead.
The Hops threatened in the third inning putting runners on second and third with just one out, but Perez worked out of the jam to keep the Sox lead at 3-0.
Seattle Mariners' #1 prospect Colt Emerson added to the total with an RBI single in the fifth, making it 4-0 AquaSox.
Lazaro Montes hit his ninth homer of the season in the seventh inning off Jorge Minyety, and for the second consecutive game it was a 400+ foot blast over the batter's eye in center field. Montes is thought to be the first player in Ballpark history to hit two career homers over the batter's eye, yet alone in back-to-back days. Tai Peete added another run on an RBI single in the frame that made it 6-0.
Hillsboro has had great success in 2025 with Junior Franco batting ninth in the lineup, 9-1 on the season. Although they didn't come up with a win tonight, Franco did have a big blast in the game. With two runners on in the seventh Franco hit his first blast of the year, a three-run homer that cut the deficit in half.
Lazaro Montes picked up two more RBI in the eighth on a hard hit two-RBI single back up the middle, giving him three RBI on the night. Luis Suisbel then had an RBI single to make it 9-3.
Everett had 13 hits in the game and was 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Arroyo, Montes, Suisbel, Peete and Perez all had multi-hit games in the 9-3 win. Kenny Castillo and Junior Franco each had a two-hit game in the loss.
Game three of the series will be a day game tomorrow at Hillsboro Ballpark, with first pitch at 1:05 and the pregame show starting at 12:50 on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Northwest League Stories from May 22, 2025
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- Condon Shines in Debut as Indians Top Dust Devils - Spokane Indians
- Mariners' Top Prospects Do Damage in 9-3 Win over Hops - Hillsboro Hops
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