Middle Innings Tempestuous in Tri-City Loss to Hillsboro
May 19, 2024 - Northwest League (NWL)
Tri-City Dust Devils News Release
Tri-City Dust Devils left fielder Werner Blakely (standing) and shortstop Caleb Ketchup
(Tri-City Dust Devils)
Leads and run-scoring bursts came in threes for both the Tri-City Dust Devils (17-20) and the Hillsboro Hops (18-19) Saturday night, with Hillsboro piling up more threes in a 10-5 win in front of 2,430 fans at Gesa Stadium.
Tri-City put up the first three runs of the evening, first by LF Jorge Ruiz grounding out but scoring CF Werner Blakely in the bottom of the 3rd for the first run of the night. An inning later, C Ronaldo Flores sent a pitch from Hops starter Ricardo Yan (2-2) out to shallow left for a bloop double that brought in both DH Mason Martin and 3B Cam Williams for a 3-0 lead through four innings of play.
Due to an injury to starter Jorge Marcheco suffered last week in Eugene, the Dust Devils set up a bullpen day. Lefty Quinton Martinez, making his first professional start, threw three scoreless and no-hit innings to get things started on the right foot. Things went sideways on the club, though, beginning with a three-run Hops rally with two outs in the top of the 5th inning to tie the game at 3-3.
Three continued to be the number for the Hops, pushing across three more runs in the 6th and 7th innings to take a big lead. CF Andrew Pintar drove in runs in all three three-run innings, including a two-run home run off Tri-City reliever Carlos Espinosa (3-1) that gave the visitors a 6-3 advantage in the top of the 6th. Pintar went 4-for-5 with a walk, driving in five runs and scoring twice.
The home nine grabbed a couple of highlights later in the game, with Werner Blakely making a full extension diving catch in the top of the 6th and DH Mason Martin homering for a second straight night. They also fought to try to get back into the game late, loading the bases in the bottom of the 8th. In the end, however, Hillsboro had the answer Saturday night, narrowing the Dust Devils' series lead to three games to two.
Werner Blakely (2-3, BB, 2 R) and Mason Martin (2-3, HR, 2 BB, 2 R) had solid nights at the plate for Tri-City on a night in which the Hops held their opponents to only six hits. SS Caleb Ketchup (1-for-2, 1B, 2 BB) also helped the Dust Devils by reaching base three times and stealing his 13th base of the year.
The series finale of the six-game set between Tri-City and Hillsboro has been scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. matinee Sunday afternoon at Gesa Stadium where, weather permitting, the second Youth Baseball Clinic of 2024 presented by Dutch Bros will take place as well as a Baseball Brunch. It's also Red Out the Park Day with fans getting the chance to win prizes simply by wearing red and/or Angels gear.
Right-hander Walbert Ureña (1-3, 4.05 ERA) will make his second start of the week Sunday afternoon for the Dust Devils, countered by Hops righty Logan Clayton (2024 High-A debut). Broadcast coverage of the game begins with the pregame show at 1:10 p.m, both here and with video coverage in the MiLB Zone of the Bally Live app and MiLB.tv.
Tickets for Sunday's game are on sale now, with special ticket rates available for groups of 20 or more. For more information on Dust Devils single game, season, mini-plan (11, 22, 33) and group tickets, visit the team's official ticketing site, dustdevilsbaseball.com.
Images from this story
 Tri-City Dust Devils left fielder Werner Blakely (standing) and shortstop Caleb Ketchup |
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