Cribbs Leads Way as Hops Top T-C

PASCO, WASH. --- For Galli Cribbs Jr., it's been a matter of remaining patient.

The Hops infielder finally broke an 0-for-20 string with a hit on Tuesday, and on Wednesday he went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored to help lead the Hillsboro Hops to a 5-4 win at Tri-City. It was the first of 10 regular-season meetings between the Northwest League's two first-half division winners.

And Cribbs wasn't alone. Alexis Olmeda had a pair of key singles, including a two-out, two-run base hit in the 5th that turned a 2-1 lead into a 4-1 lead. Zach Nehrir went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. And Fernery Ozuna had two hits in four at bats with a sacrifice fly and a run scored.

All this in support of a quintet of Hillsboro pitchers who bent, but never broke.

Right-hander Tyler Mark, Arizona's sixth-round draft choice this year, made his second start for the Hops and again threw three shutout innings, allowing just two hits. Jeferson Mejia came on for the fourth, and though he allowed four hits and three walks in his two-plus innings, only two runs scored. Brody Greer worked two perfect innings. And then Breckin Williams came in for the eighth with Hillsboro leading 4-3..

Williams was making his first appearance since June 22, when he went out with an oblique strain. After his customary sprint from the bullpen to the pitcher's mound, he gave up a run on a walk, single and fielder's choice, but retired Mason Smith on a fly out and Justin Pacchioli on a strikeout to leave the tying and go-ahead runs on base.

Cribbs' base hit and stolen base and Nehrir's flare single to right brought home an insurance run in the top of the ninth to make it 5-3. And then Ryan Burr came on for the bottom of the ninth in search of his third save. He issued a one-out walk and a two-out RBI single to Ty France to make it 5-4, but whiffed Carlos Belen on a change-up to end it.

Hillsboro had scored first on a Gerard Hernandez sacrifice fly in the fourth, then three more times in the fifth on the aforementioned Ozuna sac fly and Olmeda two-run single. Olmeda may have found a home in the third slot in the batting order --- in two games there, he's 5-for-9 with a double and three RBIs.

Mejia (4-3) got the win in relief, and Burr earned his third save.

The Hops are now 2-1 in the second half (in a three-way tie for first with Salem-Keizer and Eugene) and 24-17 overall. Tri-City is 1-2 and 23-18. Hillsboro, the 2014 NWL champs, won the South Division first-half title last Friday, and Tri-City, by virtue of a tiebreaker over Everett, took the North on Sunday.

The series continues on Thursday night at 7:15 at Gesa Stadium in Pasco, Wash. The radio pregame show begins at 6:45 on Rip City Radio 620AM and www.RipCityRadio.com.