Perez Plummets Hops to 60th Defeat
Published on August 9, 2025 under Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release
VANCOUVER, B.C. -- There was something in the air Saturday night. The stars were bright. And no Vancouver star has shined brighter than Fernando Perez the last two weeks.
The reigning Northwest League Pitcher Of The Week was at it again, handcuffing the Hops (14-27 second half, 47-60 overall) on three hits over a season-high seven innings with a season-best eight strikeouts and no walks. With Perez (7-4) out of the game, Vancouver (21-20, 58-49) cracked a 1-1 tie with an unearned run, capitalizing on a Hops error with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to plate the winning run in a 2-1 victory over Hillsboro.
Jansel Luis' bat has shined all season for Hillsboro, but the 20-year-old infielder's glove let him down at an inopportune time. With runners at first and third and two outs in the eighth, Carter Cunningham sent a chopper to Luis at second. What seemed to be a friendly chest-high hop turned hostile when the ball glanced off the heel of his glove. It squirted away when he tried to pick it up with the throwing hand and by the time he corraled the baseball, Jay Harry crossed home plate with the go-ahead run.
Yondrei Rojas, whose head got in the way of a Jackson Feltner 100+ mph line drive the last time he faced the Hops, retired the side in order in the ninth to make a winner out of another recent injured list denizen, Aaron Munson (3-2).
Munson pitched around an Anderdson Rojas single and Slade Caldwell walk to record a scoreless eighth inning.
Perez led the NWL with a 1.45 earned run average in July and has kept the beat going in August. The 20-year-old righthander from Nicaragua walked four batters and gave up a home run on July 4th at Everett. Since then, over his last five starts, Perez has fanned 31 batters without a walk and allowed just two runs.
John West ensured that Perez would not get a win on this night. The 6-8 righty from Boston College bounced back from a couple of rocky outings to limit Vancouver to just two hits over six innings, striking out five with two bases on balls and one hit batter.
Vancouver struck first on an Edward Duran RBI single in the second inning, following a one-out walk to Cunningham and a booted ball at third by Rojas. With Cunningham already back in the dugout and runners at first and second with one out, the Hops caught a break when Peyton Powell's smash up the middle deflected off West right to first baseman Modeifi Marte. The C's would get only one runner to second base during the rest of West's tenure on the hill.
Hillsboro's first hit came from Luis, leading off the fourth inning. Druw Jones followed with a base hit to right and Luis came home on a double play grounder to even the score 1-1.
Joangel Gonzalez (1-5) relieved West in the seventh and retired four of five until Eddie Micheletti, Jr. took advantage of an infield shift with a one-out infield hit down the third base line. After a wild pitch sent Micheletti to second, Jay Harry came in to pinch-run. Gonzalez got Sean Keys to ground out to first, moving Harry to third base.
In came Sam Knowlton, who had recorded a four-out save in Wednesday's game. Facing Blue Jays top prospect Arjun Nimmala, a battle ensued before the 19-year-old shortstop earned his way aboard with an eight-pitch walk before Cunningham hit the fateful grounder that plated the game-winning run.
Each team had four hits, one night after Vancouver went hitless into the ninth inning. Micheletti had a hit and a walk in four plate appearances as did Caldwell for the Hops.
The teams wrap up the series Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning at 12:50 on Rip City Radio 620.
Northwest League Stories from August 9, 2025
- Perez Plummets Hops to 60th Defeat - Hillsboro Hops
- Sox Power Three Homers on Margaritaville Night - Everett AquaSox
- Perez Wows, C's Win Saturday Duel with Hops - Vancouver Canadians
- Emeralds Rally Late to Clinch 7th Consecutive Series Victory - Eugene Emeralds
- Dust Devils Score Early, Often to Win Third in a Row - Tri-City Dust Devils
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