Torin Grand as Hops Extend NWL Lead
June 6, 2025 - Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. -- The Hillsboro Hops began the 2025 season with an infield full of young Diamondbacks prospects who were practically interchangeable at three positions. Following injuries to top-rated Hops' prospect Demetrio Crisantes and MLB Pipeline 9th-rated D-Backs prospect Jansel Luis, 20-year-old Venezuelan infielder Cristofer Torin has been locked in at shortstop and has become a regular presence in the leadoff spot.
The youngest player on the Hillsboro roster, Torin continued a torrid week at the plate and added two spectacular plays with the glove Friday night as the Hops (30-25) picked up their third straight victory at Spokane (27-28), defeating the Indians 6-2.
With the win, Hillsboro extended its league lead to 2 1/2 games over Everett, knocking Spokane into a three-way tie for third place with Eugene and Vancouver. With 11 games left before the first-half cut-off on June 19, Hillsboro can secure a tiebreaker advantage over Spokane with a win either Saturday or Sunday in the final two games of the series.
Torin got the Hops rolling right away with a leadoff single in the first off Indians' starter Jordy Vargas (0-4). Torin swiped second base before Ryan Waldschmidt reached on his NWL-leading 46th walk of the season. Ben McLaughlin, hitting in the three-hole for the second time this week, delivered a double to the right center field fence to score Torin. Later in the inning, Waldschmidt raced home on a wild pitch and McLaughlin later scored on a Druw Jones sacrifice fly.
After two first-inning walks, Vargas issued three more free passes and two more wild pitches in the second inning. Gavin Logan walked to lead off the frame and trotted home on a Torin sac fly to center to make it 4-0 Hillsboro in the early-going.
Hops' starting pitcher John West matched a career-high in strikeouts Friday night with seven, including inning-ending punch-outs of Aidan Longwell and Darius Perry with the bases loaded in the third and fourth innings. The Hops kept the Tribe off the board in the third thanks to a sensational diving stop by Torin of a Jean Perez ground ball up the middle, robbing the Indians' second baseman of a leadoff base hit.
The fourth-year pro nearly repeated the feat in the fourth, this time diving to his right deep in the hole at shortstop to snare a Braylen Wimmer ground ball. The speedy Wimmer just beat Torin's throw by a half-step for a leadoff infield single.
Two walks and a Longwell RBI single to start the fifth spelled the end of West's night. Five walks set a new career-high for the 6-8, 265-pound righty from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Jorge Minyety (3-0) finished the fifth, inducing a double-play grounder after a walk to load the bases before retiring Skyler Messinger on a harmless grounder to Torin.
After the Indians halved the Hillsboro lead, the Hops regained a two-run advantage with two runs in the seventh inning off lefty Bryson Hammer. Jones hit his second sac fly of the night, scoring Ben McLaughlin after a leadoff walk. Angel Ortiz singled and scored on Gavin Logan's two-out RBI single up the middle. Ortiz came in to score as center fielder Thomas threw to third base to get Jean Walters for the final out of the inning. Initially the run was disallowed, but after a vehement argument by Hops manager Mark Reed, the umpires got together and overturned the call, giving Hillsboro a 6-2 lead.
Minyety retired the side in order in the sixth, then Edgar Isea did the same with a strikeout in the seventh inning. Carlos Rey finished the night on the mound, retiring the first five to face him before a pair of walks in the ninth.
McLaughlin reached base four times on the night, with three walks and two runs scored. Torin and Ortiz each finished with two of Hillsboro's ten hits on the night.
Four Hops pitchers limited the Indians to just five hits. NWL batting leader Jared Thomas reached base multiple times for the sixth consecutive game, going 2-for-3 with a run and two walks. Thomas is off to a 10-for-20 start to June. Longwell went 1-for-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts in his return from the injured list.
A win in the final two games this weekend will ensure the Hops of a winning record against Spokane in the first half. Saturday's first pitch is at 6:35 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning at 6:20 p.m. on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Northwest League Stories from June 6, 2025
- Torin Grand as Hops Extend NWL Lead - Hillsboro Hops
- Dust Devils Dusted by Canadians - Tri-City Dust Devils
- Indians Fall Short in 6-2 Loss to Hops - Spokane Indians
- Everett Throws Combined No-Hitter in 1-0 Victory vs Ems - Eugene Emeralds
- Sox Pitchers Combine to No-Hit Emeralds - Everett AquaSox
- Yesavage, Stanifer Dominate While Bats Break Out In Big Win - Vancouver Canadians
- AquaSox Winning Streak Comes to an End - Everett AquaSox
- Curvelo to Make his MLB Debut this Weekend - Everett AquaSox
- Late Mistakes Doom Tri-City in Loss to Vancouver - Tri-City Dust Devils
- Hops Torch Tribe Pen, Push Lead to Two Games - Hillsboro Hops
- Five-Run Eighth Puts C's on Top - Vancouver Canadians
- Emeralds Tally Season High in Runs as They Dominate Everett 15-3 - Eugene Emeralds
- Spokane Bullpen Melts Down in 8-4 Loss to Hops - Spokane Indians
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