Bases On Balls Beat Bombs In BC

VANCOUVER, BC --- Gavin Conticello is turning Vancouver's Nat Bailey Stadium into his personal launching pad this weekend.

The Floridian cracked two more home runs Saturday and drove in a career-high-tying four runs, but the Vancouver Canadians (4-4) outlasted the Hops 6-5 in the sunshine to clinch their first series win of 2024 and Hillsboro's first series loss.

Conticello has all three of the Hops' home runs this season and they have come in less than a 24-hour window. But it was Ryan McCarty's three-run blast off Alec Baker in the sixth inning that proved to be the game-winner for the C's.

Down 3-0 early, the Hops (3-5) pulled even after a two-run Conticello blast in the fourth inning and Tommy Troy's two-out RBI double in the fifth.

With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the inning, Jeff Wehler led off with a single off Hops' starting pitcher Cole Percival. Lefty Dillon Larsen (0-1), an Ellensburg, Washington native back with the Hops after one AA appearance at Amarillo last week, walked Jace Bohrofen. but induced a 5-4-3 double play grounder from Vancouver's hottest bat, Nick Goodwin. Larsen skirted danger by fanning Dylan Rock with a runner at third to end the frame.

Back-to-back walks in the sixth had Larsen back in trouble again. He struck out Jaden Rudd and Alec Baker came on to retire Estiven Machado on a harmless pop to first. That brought the former Division III National Player Of The Year McCarty to the plate. Already with a double and a run scored in the game, McCarty battled Baker to a full count before cracking his first home run of the season out to the video board in left center, giving Vancouver a 6-3 lead.

As the Hops have done all season, they rallied to make it interesting late. Christian Cerda, as he did on Conticello's fourh-inning home run, got the table set, drawing a one-out walk from Johnathan Lavallee. Conticello got around on a 1-1 pitch and sent a no-doubter soaring over the tall right field fence to cut the lead to 6-5.

There would be no ninth-inning fireworks on this day, however. Chay Yeager mowed the Hops down in the ninth, fanning Juan Corniel and Andrew Pintar in a 1-2-3 to notch his first pro save.

Kevin Miranda (1-0) tossed a scoreless sixth inning to earn the win. Starting pitcher Rafael Sanchez lasted four innings, allowing three hits and two runs with two strikeouts and two walks.

Percival overcame a rough first inning to pitch into the fifth for the Hops. Vancouver plated three in their first go-around with McCarty lighting the fire by getting hit by a Percival pitch from the leadoff spot. Goodwin continued his early-season tear with a two-RBI triple after a walk to Bohrofen, then came home on Rock's RBI single to right center. The tall righthander, who will face his former Angels organization teammates next week, allowed six hits and three earned runs with two strikeouts and two walks in his second Hops start.

The double-dinger game was the first of Conticello's career. A high school draft pick in 2021, the Coconut Creek, Florida native hit 17 home runs last season and his bat came alive in the final month-plus of the season. Troy had his first two-hit game of the year for the Hops.

McCarty (2-4-2r-d-hr-3rbi) and Bohrofen (1-2-r-2bb) each reached base three times for the Canadians.

The teams wrap up the series with a third consecutive afternoon of baseball. There will be no radio broadcast, but live audio of the game is available for streaming. See the Hillsboro Hops website for details. Pregame coverage starts at 12:50 p.m. with first pitch at 1:05.