NWL1 Hillsboro Hops

The Race Is On

Published on July 10, 2014 under Northwest League (NWL1)
Hillsboro Hops News Release


The Hillsboro Hops may need to find an in-game activity for their ace pitcher to keep fresh in the dugout.

For the second time this season, Ben Eckels returned to the mound after a long half-inning of rest and struggled. Rashad Crawford hit a bases-clearing triple in a four-run fourth inning and the Boise Hawks defeated Hillsboro 6-2 at Memorial Stadium Wednesday night.

With the win, the Hawks (14-12) close within one game of Hillsboro (15-11) in the Northwest League South Division standings with one game to play in the series. There are 12 games left before the first-half division leaders are awarded postseason playoff bids. The Hawks currently have the tiebreaker edge, based on a 3-2 head-to-head record against Hillsboro.

Eckels was on fire in the first two innings, striking out the side in order in the first and setting down all three batters with another punchout in the second inning. But, Hillsboro sent eight men to the plate in the top of the third, an inning that dragged on with a slow-working pitcher on the mound and a couple of summit meetings as the Hops tallied twice and threatened for more.

Staked to a 2-0 lead, Eckels hit Mark Malave to lead off the bottom of the third, eventually loading the bases on a walk to Giuseppe Papaccio and a bloop base hit to center from Jeremy Baez. Crawford followed with a triple to right field, giving the Hawks the lead for good.

The Hops had an opportunity to put up a big number in the top of the inning. Justin Gonzalez led off with a deep fly ball that took right fielder Baez to the wall, where the collision jarred the ball out of his glove. Gonzalez ended up on third base, then scored when Jordan Parr punched a base hit between short and third. After stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch, Parr came home when the newest Hop, infielder Steve Nyisztor hit a sacrifice fly to right. Nyisztor became the sixth different Hop to bat leadoff this year after being signed away from the independent Rockland Boulders of the Can-Am League.

Hillsboro would reload the bases with two outs, but Boise pitcher Erick Leal, who delivered a steady stream of sinkers, coerced a bouncer to the right side off the bat of Bennie Robinson. Hawks second baseman Chesny Young ranged well to his left and deftly fielded a late bounding hop to retire Robinson.

Leal (3-2) worked five innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts and a walk, retiring seven of the last eight batters he faced, all on ground outs. Leal recorded a total of 11 ground ball outs and the Hops grounded into 16 outs total in the game.

Right hander Ryan Williams pitched two perfect innings of relief with two strikeouts in his Boise debut. Baez extended his league-best hitting streak to 12 games with three hits and two runs scored. Crawford added a double in the seventh inning for his third extra base hit of the series and has totaled six runs batted in over the two games.

Parr extended his on-base streak to 19 games and has now hit in 10 of his last 11 games after going 2-for-4 with a double. Nyisztor doubled in the eighth inning for his first hit in affiliated professional baseball, finishing 1-for-4 at the plate. Eckels suffered his first loss at Hillsboro this year, allowing five runs on five hits. He was hit by a Papaccio line drive on the final out of the fourth inning and did not return for the fifth.

The Hops try to fend off a Boise sweep and maintain their hold on first place Thursday night in the final game of the series before returning to Ron Tonkin Field for two games against Salem-Keizer Friday and Saturday. Catch Hops baseball live starting with the pregame show at 5:45 p.m. Thursday night on Rip City Radio AM 620.

Check out the Hillsboro Hops Statistics

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Northwest League Stories from July 10, 2014


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