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NWL Hillsboro Hops

Offensive Surge Continues as Hops Rout Roostertails

June 4, 2022 - Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release


Second-year manager Vince Harrison has said all year that he expects this Hops team to hit. After languishing at the bottom in the Northwest League in most offensive categories for the first month-and-a-half of the season, Hillsboro's bats have ignited in record-setting fashion on the current road trip.

The Hops (26-21) rapped out 16 more hits Friday night and cruised to a 10-4 victory over the Tri-City Dust Devils, who debuted their new alter-ego Columbia River Roostertails unis, but couldn't halt a losing streak that has now reached seven games.

Facing a pitcher that was coming off a 14-strikeout performance in his last outing--the most in the Northwest League in 20 years--the Hops turned Robinson Pina into a pinata in the first three innings, storming to a 7-0 lead with nine hits. Six of those hits went for extra-bases, including home runs by Tristin English and A.J. Vukovich in the second inning. The Hops had hit for the cycle before an out was recorded in the second inning. By the time Pina settled down and retired the last eight batters to face him, Hillsboro had built an insurmountable lead.

Meanwhile, Kenny Hernandez was on point, getting early swings and soft contact when the Roostertails made contact at all. Hernandez went a career-best eight innings, striking out a season-high eight batters with one walk and five hits allowed. Only one of those hits did any damage. Portland-area native Kenyon Yovan--a star at Westview High School and the University of Oregon--clobbered Kenny's first pitch of the third inning well beyond the wall in left center, one of three hits on the night for the previously struggling infielder. It was his first home run of the season and sixth career. Two of those round trippers have come against his hometown team (three if you count the one umpires mistakenly ruled a ground rule double last year).

Hillsboro took a 10-1 lead into the final inning before the Roostertails put up three runs against Marcos Tineo, two coming on Edwin Yon's fourth home run of the season.

The Hops got three hits each from English and Danny Oriente, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Oriente and Tim Tawa (2-for-5 with a run scored) have each recorded four multi-hit games in the series, while English has multiple hits in each of the three games in which he has played. Hillsboro's 48 hits during the past three games (a scoring change awarded Hillsboro an additional hit Thursday, giving them 13) is a club record. The Hops had never had more than 40 hits in any three-day stretch of games.

The Hops go for their first five-game road win streak since the 2019 championship season when they face the Roostertails Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. Pregame coverage on Rip City Radio 620 AM begins at 6:15 p.m.

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Northwest League Stories from June 4, 2022


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