Olmeda Slides Hops to Sweep of Hawks
Published on August 8, 2015 under Northwest League (NWL1)
Hillsboro Hops News Release
HILLSBORO, OR - Never has insubordination been more rewarding. Locked in a 1-1 tie with the Boise Hawks in the bottom of the ninth inning, Gerard Hernandez had the chance to win the game for the Hillsboro Hops.
Alexis Olmeda had singled before him and moved to second on another single by Trevor Mitsui. With one down and two on, Boise was on the ropes. Hernandez rolled over an offering from Taylor Black - a surefire double-play ball. Olmeda was off on the groundball, but Boise second baseman Luis Castro booted it. Olmeda rounded third and ran directly through a very clear stop sign from skipper Shelley Duncan. Castro recovered and threw home, and his throw beat Olmeda to the plate by a mile, but a deft hook slide got the catcher around the tag of Ryan Casteel to salt away a 2-1 victory and a three-game sweep of the Boise Hawks. All's well that ends well.
Life without ace southpaw Jared Miller officially began today in Hillsboro (28-20, 6-4), and newly signed pitcher Brett Shankin made it feel like he never left. With Miller off to Kane County, Shankin seized an opportunity to join the vaunted Hops rotation by recording six innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts to lead the Hops to victory. Twice Shankin walked a tightrope to escape precarious situations in the fifth and sixth innings, showing a lot of guts to buckle down and avoid damage.
Shankin's only blemish came in the first inning. Scott Burcham reached on a fielder's choice and swiped second and third. He would come home on a sacrifice fly by Brian Mundell to give Boise (17-31, 3-7) an early 1-0 lead.
Hillsboro leveled the score in the bottom of the fourth. Josh Anderson reached on a fielding error by Castro - in retrospect, a foreboding sign - and moved to second on a single by Mitsui. Nate Robertson followed with a single driven to left to bring home Anderson.
The clubs exchanged zeroes for several innings as Shankin found a great rhythm. Ariel Hernandez came in and lit up radar guns, repeatedly hitting triple digits, and Kirby Bellow followed him to make his Hillsboro debut and record 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Kevin Simmons threw a scoreless top of the ninth and turned out to be the winning pitcher with Hillsboro's walk-off in the bottom of the ninth.
The stage was set for a walk-off, and the Hops made sure the 4,183 assembled wouldn't have to wait long. Perhaps Olmeda was the most eager to get home as his crafty slide provided one of the more exciting ways to walk-off a baseball game.
Olmeda's slide and the excellent pitching performance capped a three-game sweep of the struggling Boise Hawks and vaulted the Hops into contention in the second half of the Northwest League South Division.
The Hops have already clinched a play-off berth by virtue of winning the first half of the NWL-South Division. Play-off tickets are now on sale at www.hillsborohops.com.
Hillsboro is now off to Salem-Keizer for a commuter three-game set with the Volcanoes, currently atop the division. The Hops will have a great opportunity to gain ground on their I-5 rivals.
Northwest League Stories from August 8, 2015
- Olmeda Slides Hops to Sweep of Hawks - Hillsboro Hops
- Olmeda Slides Hops to Sweep of Hawks - Hillsboro Hops
- Hops Sweep Aside Hawks With 2-1 Win - Boise Hawks
- Volcanoes Return to Keizer for Three - Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
- Anderson's Late Homer Steals Victory for Hops - Hillsboro Hops
- AquaSox Walk-Off for Extra-Innings Win - Everett AquaSox
- Bats Come Alive as Volcanoes Take Series - Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
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