NWL Hillsboro Hops

Tribe Prevails in Epic Plunkfest

Published on May 12, 2023 under Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release


After setting multiple futility records in the first two games of their series at Spokane, the Hillsboro Hops were up for a scrap on Thursday night at Avista Stadium.

Despite surrendering a six-run first inning, Hillsboro (10-20) answered the Northwest League's top offensive team blow for blow, but a ninth inning rally fell just short in an 11-10 defeat to the Indians (15-12).

Wilderd Patino's latent bat has arrived this week as the speedy center fielder had four hits, including cracks at the cycle in his final two plate appearances. Patino led off the game with a triple, before adding a double and two singles, scoring three runs and driving in two. Seven of the nine Hops contributed to a season-high 12-hit attack and the ten runs also marked a season-best. But Spokane proved to be too explosive once again and in the end, the Indians capitalized on an abundance of charity.

Five Hops pitchers combined to hit six Indians batters, tying a club record. That combined with nine bases on balls offered a dangerous offensive team far too many opportunities.

For the second consecutive game, the Hops plated a run in their first turn at bat, with Patino scoring on J.J. D'Orazio's first-inning RBI single. With runners at first and second, Jesus Valdez had a 3-0 count against Spokane starting pitcher Jarrod Cande, but after consecutive strikes, grounded into an inning-ending double play.

The Indians' reply was swift: six hits and six runs in the bottom of the first inning as Hillsboro ace Dylan Ray (1-2) suffered his worst pro outing, knocked off the hill after two walks and four hits in a third of an inning. The last batter he faced, Zach Kokoska, blasted a 3-run homer over the right center field scoreboard, his third consecutive game with a round tripper.

But Hillsboro answered with a two-run Patino double in the second inning and the Hops kept Spokane off the board the next four innings despite allowing leadoff baserunners and multiple runners on base in each. When Patino singled in the fifth, went to third on an errant pickoff and scored on Channy Ortiz's sacrifice fly, the Hops closed the gap to 6-4.

Hillsboro's luck ran out in the sixth inning. Junior Mieses walked the leadoff batter Braxton Fulford before surrendering a two-run rocket home run to right to Yanquiel Fernandez. At that point, the 20-year-old Cuban right fielder was 9 for his last 11 with three home runs, a triple, double, seven RBI and five runs scored.

Tyler Ahearn came on to pitch the seventh for the Tribe and retired the first two, bringing Patino back to the plate a homer shy of the cycle. The Venezuelan speedster banged a single through the hole on the left side and Ortiz followed with a single to center. Shane Muntz, 1 for his previous 21, lashed a base hit to left center field that glanced off the glove of center fielder Benny Montgomery and reached the wall, plating both runners and sending Muntz to third. D'Orazio followed with a routine grounder to short that Adael Amador booted, allowing Muntz to score, cutting the Indians lead to 8-7. Jacob Kostyshock relieved Ahearn and fanned Valdez to end the rally.

But Hops pitchers continued to give away freebies. Connor Grammes walked A.J. Lewis to lead off the bottom of the seventh, then hit Braiden Ward. A deep Amador fly to center allowed pinch runner Ben Sems to reach third and Ward promptly swiped second before a passed ball allowed Sems to score.

Up 9-7, the Indians got their seventh consecutive leadoff hitter aboard in the eighth when Jordan Beck walked on four pitches. One out later, Guerrero took one for the team for the second time. A sharp Kokoska grounder ricocheted off first baseman Ramses Malave's glove, but second baseman S.P. Chen and Grammes showed good hustle and awareness when Chen backed up the play and flipped the ball to the covering pitcher just in time to beat Kokoska to the bag. With two outs and Guerrero and Beck in scoring position, Sems delivered what appeared to be the dagger, bouncing a ball down the third base line for a two RBI single to put the Tribe up 11-7.

But the Hops were not down for the count. With Indians closer Angel Chivilli on to try and close out the game, Ortiz hit a one-out dribbling foul ball up the third base line that hit the cut of the grass and veered back toward the foul line. The charging 3B Sems could not reach the ball in time and Ortiz had an infield hit. Shane Muntz followed with a nearly identical ball down the first base line. Unfortunately, the ground ball had hit the foot of Muntz and was initially called foul by home plate umpire Jack Wason, but it hit a dirt clod on its way up the line and steered left. Kokoska picked it up while it was on the chalk and took it to the base and Muntz was ruled out. Manager Ronnie Gajownik had to get in between Muntz and the ump as his appeals went unresolved. Unfortunately, Wason's partner Trevor Patience was no help as he had taken an errant pitch off the throat and left the game for good in the third inning after receiving medical attention, meaning Wason had to call most of the game by himself behind home plate.

The missed call ended up costing the Hops as D'Orazio followed with a base hit to plate Ortiz and Valdez blasted a two run homer out to left that would have tied the game, but left the Hops one run short with Muntz's absence from the bases. Down to their final out, Gary Mattis, Jr. hit a chopper over the mound, but Ward made the charging play in time to end the game.

The Indians collected ten hits for the third consecutive game in the series and with two home runs have now hit 11 round trippers through the first three games. Beck extended his league-best hit streak to 13 games with a first-inning RBI single. Fernandez went 3 for 5 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored. Luis Amoroso (2-0) was credited with the win, allowing one unearned run on one hit with one strikeout and no walks over two innings. Indians pitchers combined to strike out 13 Hops batters, while allowing just four walks and one hit batter.

While the missed call in the ninth certainly stung, the Hops winning hopes were undone by a discrepancy of ten free passes in the game, with six of Spokane's 11 runs coming as a result.

With their current losing streak at six and losses in nine of their last ten games. the Hops return to action at 6:35 p.m. Friday night. Pregame coverage begins at 6:20 on Rip City Radio 620.

Check out the Hillsboro Hops Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Northwest League Stories from May 12, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central