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Roby Rules The Day With Walk-Off Winner

Eugene never led until the game was over on Sunday thanks to another come-from-behind win that saw the Ems walk off to earn their twelfth win in sixteen contests against the Hops at PK Park this season
Los Monarcas de Eugene celebrate a walk-off win against the Hillsboro Hops on July 25.
By Alex Stimson
July 26, 2021

The Eugene Emeralds (41-30) ended the series in style on Sunday, walking off over the Hillsboro Hops (31-39) to earn a series split in yet another one-run game between the two teams. THE DETAILS: - Winning Pitcher: Chris Wright (3-0, 1.35 ERA): 1.0 IP | 0 H | 0 R

The Eugene Emeralds (41-30) ended the series in style on Sunday, walking off over the Hillsboro Hops (31-39) to earn a series split in yet another one-run game between the two teams.

THE DETAILS:

  • Winning Pitcher: Chris Wright (3-0, 1.35 ERA): 1.0 IP | 0 H | 0 R | 0 BB | 2 K

  • Losing Pitcher: Yaramil Hiraldo (0-1, 6.97 ERA): 0.1 | 2 H | 2 R | 2 ER | 1 BB | 1 K

  • Save: N/A

  • HR(s): Eugene: Flores (2), Dempsey (1) | Hillsboro: Alexander (4), Barrosa (2)

HOW IT HAPPENED: After the Ems offense struck first in each of the previous two nights, Hillsboro’s bats got to work in the second to take the first lead of the game, and they did so in a big way.

Hops shortstop Blaze Alexander led off the inning with a monster solo homer down the left field line, just sneaking inside the foul pole but clearing the PK Park fence by some distance to put the visitors in front, 1-0. Eduardo Diaz almost left the yard in the ensuing at-bat, instead doubling off the top of the left field wall to put a Hops runner in scoring position, and after a Roman Ruiz single that moved Diaz to third, Jorge Barrosa golfed a three-run homer over the short porch in right field that put the Hops up by four after just an inning and a half.

Eugene got one back in the bottom of the second thanks to a passed ball by Major Leaguer Carson Kelly who joined Hillsboro on Sunday for a rehab assignment from the Arizona Diamondbacks. With Franklin Labour on third after reaching on a walk and advancing two bases on a Carter Aldrete single, the passed ball by Kelly allowed Labour to scamper home and shrink Hillsboro’s lead to 4-1.

It became 4-3 three innings later thanks to back-to-back bombs from Eugene’s eight and nine hitters. Designated hitter Tyler Flores made it a two-run game in the fifth when he led off by teeing off to right-center field for his second homer of the season, and Nolan Dempsey followed in the very next at-bat with his first homer as an Emerald to all of the sudden cut Hillsboro’s lead down to one.

Hillsboro stretched their lead back to two in the sixth when Carson Kelly skied a sac fly to deep right that easily scored Axel Andueza from third, and it stayed a 5-3 game until the eighth.

In that eighth inning, the Emeralds trimmed it back to a one-run game after a one-out single by Ricardo Genovés, a four-pitch walk drawn by Franklin Labour, and a two-out single by Carter Aldrete that plated Genovés from second to see Eugene down by a lone run once again, this time a 5-4 margin.

The bottom of the ninth started in less-than-ideal fashion for Eugene as pinch hitter Ismael Munguia struck out on four pitches for just his 18th strikeout in 216 at-bats this season, but Brett Auerbach followed by working a four-pitch walk and then Tyler Fitzgerald yanked a double into the left field corner to put the tying run in Auerbach on third and the winning run in scoring position on second.

Up came Sean Roby who was 0-for-4 to that point, but after getting ahead in the count 3-0, Roby got the green light and promptly motored the Yaramil Hiraldo offering into the right-center field gap for a ground-rule double that brought home both runners and capped a gritty walk-off win, Eugene’s second walk-off win over Hillsboro this series.

In fitting fashion, the series finale was decided by a one-run margin just as all five of the prior matchups were.

Major Leaguer Carson Kelly finished 0-for-3 with a strikeout and an RBI sac fly.

PEAK PERFORMERS:

  • Sean Roby – 1B: Roby’s only base knock of the day was a big one, belting a walk-off double to the right-center field gap to drive home a pair of runs and give the Ems a 6-5 win.

  • Carter Aldrete – 3B: Aldrete continued his strong play of late by netting the only multi-hit day by an Emerald, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.

  • The Bullpen: Another strong night for the bullpen which as a collective moved to 28-3 on the season. Travis Perry, Taylor Rashi and Chris Wright combined to fire 3.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts while allowing just one hit and no walks.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Eugene Emeralds enjoy an off day on Monday before heading north to take on the Everett AquaSox in a seven-game series starting on Tuesday night.

You can catch all the action on Tuesday with Alex Stimson on the call via 95.3FM The Score, MiLB.com or on the MiLB app.

Tickets to Emeralds home games are available at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or by calling (541) 342-5367.

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