Walker Martin's Bat Launches Ems to Consecutive Wins against Hillsboro
NWL Eugene Emeralds

Walker Martin's Bat Launches Ems to Consecutive Wins against Hillsboro

Published on April 22, 2026 under Northwest League (NWL)
Eugene Emeralds News Release


HILLSBORO, OR - Eugene defeated the Hillsboro Hops by a final score of 6-3 to win their 2nd consecutive game this week. The Ems are now 5-0 this season against Hillsboro, and move to a 13-4 record on the season and will remain in 1st place in the Northwest League.

The Hops struck first in the game in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Yassel Soler led off the inning with a double before Kenny Castillo hit a 1-out single to bring home Soler and give Hillsboro their first lead of the week.

It didn't take long at all for the Ems to get the run back. Walker Martin led off the 3rd inning and sent a ball 376 feet over the left field wall with an exit velocity of 106.9 mph. It was Martin's 3rd home run of the season as he continues to get more and more comfortable on the mound as the season continues.

In the top of the 4th the bats stayed hot as Carlos Gutierrez reached after getting hit in the foot by an offspeed pitch before Lisbel Diaz singled up the middle. After a quick out, Walker Martin sent a ball into the right centerfield gap to plate both runners as he was able to reach 2nd for his 2nd extra-base hit of the game.

In the 6th inning Avery Owusu-Asiedu crushed a 2-out solo home to cut the deficit in half. The Hops pushed home another run in the 7th inning as well. For the 2nd time in the game Yassel Soler started off the inning with a double before Yerald Nin hit a single to bring home the run. Eugene led 4-3 after the first 7 innings of the game.

For the 2nd straight night the Emeralds bats came through with a 2-run home run in the 8th. Dakota Jordan led off the frame with a 4-pitch walk. The next couple of batters popped out before Zander Darby stepped into the box. Darby fell behind in the count 0-2, but continued to fight and battle. After fouling off a few pitches Darby hit his 3rd home run of the season to right center field. It left the bat at 101.9 mph and traveled 415 feet directly into the Emeralds bullpen to give the Ems the 6-3 lead.

The Emeralds bullpen was able to close it out the rest of the way with some strong pitching performances from Ryan Slater and Gerelmi Maldonado. Tyler Switalski picked up the win tonight after allowing just 2 runs in 6 innings of work. It's his first win of the season after he hadn't allowed an earned run in his first 12 innings this year. Ryan Slater picked up his 3rd hold of the year after pitching the 7th and 8th inning before handing it over to Maldonado who allowed just 1 walk but didn't give up a hit before striking out the final batter of the game.

Eugene will now have a chance to clinch a series split tomorrow with a quick turnaround into some morning baseball here in Hillsboro. Niko Mazza will get the start with first pitch at 11:05 AM.

The Eugene Emeralds are the High-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants. The Eugene Emeralds are dedicated to providing the best in family entertainment and creating a fun, safe environment for everyone to enjoy watching a baseball game. For more information, please visit our website at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or call the Emeralds front office at 541-342-5367.

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Northwest League Stories from April 22, 2026


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