Hops post seventh shutout victory of the season

HILLSBORO, OR - If you blinked your eyes, you might have missed Thursday night's contest. Brett Shankin pitched like he had a plane to catch delivering eight brisk, shutout innings to lead the Hops to a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Canadians. The game was over in two hours flat.

It was the second Hillsboro (32-21, 10-5) start for Shankin, a former Seattle Mariners farmhand. He dazzled in his first start, receiving a no-decision after six innings of one-run ball in an eventual 2-1 victory over Boise on August 8. He was even better tonight, throwing eight dominant innings. He didn't give an inch, allowing only two hits - both singles - while walking one and striking out seven.

Shankin yielded the ninth to Cameron Gann, who delivered a gem of a performance himself to record his second save and preserve the Hops victory.

Vancouver (22-31, 6-9) couldn't scrap anything together, with singles by Ryan Metzler and Gunnar Heidt their only two tallies on the evening.

The Hops scored the lone run of the ballgame in the bottom of the fourth. Third baseman Josh Anderson ripped a double to left-center and came home to score on a Luis Veras single up the middle.

Shankin took it from there. He sat down the first nine batters he faced before walking Andrew Guillotte to lead off the fourth, his only free pass issued. That same inning, Anderson made a sparkling play to nab a Canadian at the plate to preserve the shutout. Vancouver got runners into scoring position only twice all evening.

First overall pick of the 2015 MLB Draft, Dansby Swanson, started at shortstop and hit second for the second consecutive night. He was 0-4 at the plate but virtuosic at short, making several highlight plays and handling all eight chances that game his way. He is still seeking his first professional hit, though he did square up a ball on a long fly-out to left in his final plate appearance.

It was the seventh Hops' shutout posted this season, and with the 1-0 victory, the Hops' record in one-run games moved to 16-5.

Tomorrow will be another 7:05 start time between the Hops and Canadians. Hillsboro will have a chance to clinch a series victory behind RHP Carlos Hernandez, one of the top pitchers in the Northwest League. Pregame radio is at 6:35 PM on Rip City Radio 620 AM.

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