In need of a winning week after being swept by Vancouver a week prior, the Hops missed an opportunity to do just that by dropping the final two games of their six-game set with Eugene and splitting with the Ems.
At the end of the week, Hillsboro sits with a record of 4-11 in the Northwest League’s second half and sits eight games behind the first place Canadians.
The Hops hit .250 as a team this past week and scored 30 runs, but were done in by three defeats by a total of four runs.
Jack Hurley had another great week at the plate this past week, leading the team with 10 hits and six RBI in six games.
Hillsboro will host Tri-City for six games beginning July 9.
Organizational news and notes…Hillsboro’s Jean Walters is batting .349 over his last 11 games, with 15 hits in 43 tries…The Hops’ Alec Baker has started two games and pitched in six over the last 30 days, pitching to an ERA of 0.64, allowing one earned run in 14 innings…Reno’s Andres Chaparro has hit .625 with three home runs and 15 RBI in his last seven games…Former Hop Yilber Diaz struck out 13 in six shutout innings in a start last week in Reno…Single-A Visalia shortstop Demetrio Crisantes hit .458 with two home runs and 12 RBI this past week…Visalia reliever Philip Abner has allowed just three hits and one earned run, while striking out 13 and walking none in his last four appearances.
Below is a recap of last week’s Hops games:
July 1—Hillsboro 4, Eugene 3
Ding dong the witch is dead.
After seven straight defeats, six of which came as part of a series sweep by Vancouver last week, the Hops got back to winning in the first of their six-game set with Eugene, defeating the Emeralds 4-3 on Monday, July 1, at Hillsboro Ballpark
Starting pitcher Avery Short led the charge for Hillsboro, allowing a single earned run on just two hits, while striking out 10 and walking two in seven innings of work, lowering his season ERA to 2.28.
Offensively, the Hops were led by Jack Hurley, Gavin Conticello and Neyfy Castillo who tallied two hits apiece.
Castillo was playing his first game back in Hillsboro since spending last week at Low-A Visalia.
Joining Castillo on the comeback trail was 2023 first round draft pick Tommy Troy who hadn’t played in Hillsboro in 10 weeks as the result of injury. Troy finished the game 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a walk.
The Hops scored two runs in the first inning, another in the fourth, and a final run in the seventh.
Hillsboro reliever Eli Saul allowed two earned runs in the eighth inning before being replaced by Alfred Morillo who held the Ems hitless over the game’s final 1.2 innings.
July 2—Eugene 11, Hillsboro 10
A day removed from snapping their seven game losing streak, the Hops got right back in the losing saddle in a 11-10 loss to Eugene on Tuesday, July 4, at Hillsboro Stadium.
The visiting Emeralds scored seven runs to erase a six-run deficit in the eighth inning, then plated a run in the top of the 10th inning after the Hops had tied it in the ninth for the one-run win.
Justin Wishkoski and Alexander Suarez each had three hits for Eugene, joining three of their teammates with multiple hits in the game.
In all, Eugene tallied 14 hits in the game, eight of which came off of Hillsboro relievers who combined to allow eight earned runs and three base-on-balls in relief of Hops starter Roman Angelo who allowed three earned runs, while striking out 10 in 6.1 innings of work.
The Hops too tallied 14 hits in the game, led by Gavin Conticello who went 3-for-6, along with Jack Hurley who was 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs-scored. The round tripper was Hurley’s eighth of the season.
Wishkoski double in Eugene’s go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning.
The Hops went down in order in their half of the 10th.
The game was the second game back in Hillsboro for 2023 first round draft pick Tommy Troy who went 1-for-5 with an RBI and two runs-score in the game, and is a combined 1-for-9 in his two games back.
July 3—Hillsboro 2, Eugene 1
It was a pitcher’s duel in Hillsboro last night, and thankfully for the Hops and their home crowd it was Logan Clayton who came out on top in a 2-1 win over Eugene on July 3, at Hillsboro Ballpark.
Despite not earning the win, Clayton allowed a single earned run on just four hits over 6.2 innings of work.
Equally impressive was Landon Sims who earned the win after pitching 1.1 shutout innings, allowing no hits while striking out three.
Offensively, the Hops (3-9) got a run in the fourth inning on a Neyfy Castillo RBI-double, then after the Emeralds tied the game in the seventh, Hillsboro scored what would amount to the game-winner Junior Franco scored on a Jack Hurley groundout.
Eugene (6-6) put runners on first and third base with two outs in the ninth but Alec Baker got Zach Morgan to fly out to center field to end the game.
Jean Walters finished 2-for-4 for the Hops.
Justin Wishkoski led Eugene, going 2-for-3.
Ems starting pitcher Wilkelma Castillo allowed one earned run on four hits, while striking out six and walking none in five innings on the mound.
July 4 — Hillsboro 11, Eugene 6
Fans in Eugene didn’t have to wait until after the game for their Fourth of July fireworks, for the Hops provided plenty of them in the fourth inning.
Trailing 6-1, Hillsboro scored 10 runs in the top half of the fourth, helping lead the visiting Hops to an 11-6 win on Thursday, July 4, at PK Park in Eugene.
In a game that was set up to be a pitcher’s duel between the Hops’ Joe Elbis and Ems starter Jack Choate who entered the game with the Northwest League’s lowest opponent’s batting average, neither had their best in what turned into an Independence Day hit parade.
Elbis allowed six earned runs in five innings on the mound, while Choate lasted just three innings, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits.
Hillsboro’s explosive fourth inning started with a Christian Cerda leadoff home run and ended with five singles, four weeks, a sacrifice fly and two Eugene errors.
Jack Hurley led the way for the Hops, finishing 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run-scored, while Jose Fernandez tallied two hits, and Cerda notched three RBI and two runs-scored to go with his round tripper.
Hillsboro ended up outhitting Eugene 11-10 overall.
Despite a subpar performance, Elbis ended up getting the win for the Hops, while the Ems’ Cody Tucker got the loss.
July 5 — Eugene 2, Hillsboro 1
Despite outhitting the Emeralds by more than two-to-one, it was Eugene who came out on top in a 2-1 game on Friday night, July 5, at PK Park in Eugene.
Hillsboro tallied five hits to just two by the home Ems, but Eugene made the most of them and lefthanded pitcher Joe Whitman who allowed no earned runs and just three hits, while striking out seven and walking none.
Hops starter Jose Cabrera was equally impressive in just his second start in a Hillsboro uniform, allowing two earned runs on just two hits, while too striking out seven and walking none.
Eugene got their first run in the second inning on a Cole Foster solo home run, while the Hops got their first and only run and inning later when Jose Fernandez scored on a Brett Johnson sacrifice fly to center field.
Foster’s home run was his first for the Ems since being called up on July 3.
The Ems got what amounted to the game-winner in the fourth inning when Johan Cox scored on fielder’s choice off the bat of Rodolfo Nolasco.
The game was played in less than two hours.
Hillsboro’s loss was their first in their last three games, and the second of their six-game set with the Ems.
July 6 — Eugene 4, Hillsboro 2
Better late than never—if you’re a Eugene fan.
Despite scoring nary a run and managing just two hits over the game’s first six innings, the Emeralds came alive to the tune of four runs over their final two turns at the plate en route to a 4-2 win over Hillsboro on Saturday, July 6, at PK Park.
Th Ems scored two runs in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth, breaking a 2-2 tie and securing a series split in the series finale.
Hillsboro took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning on a wild pitch by Eugene starter Manuel Mercedes, but relinquished that lead in the seventh when the home Ems scored two runs on a fielder’s choice and Matt Higgins’ RBI single to center field.
The Hops tied the game 2-2 and inning later when Brett Johnson scored on a Gavin Conticello RBI-single, but again fell behind a half inning later when Eugene plated two runs off of Hillsboro reliever Yordiin Chalas.
Chalas took the loss for the Hops, while Trent Harris got the win for Eugene.
Hillsboro starter Alec Baker impressed in his first start, allowing just two hits in four shutout innings.
Mercedes was equally impressive for the Ems, allowing no earned runs on two hits in five innings of work.
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