Frogs Power Past Hops For 4th Straight Win

On a night where the Hops collected a series-high ten hits, they could not keep up with the surging Everett AquaSox.

The Mariners' Northwest League affiliate ripped six extra base hits on the night, running away with back-to-back three-run innings in the fourth and fifth to send the Hops (18-18) to their fourth consecutive defeat, 9-4 at Funko Field Saturday night.

With top M's prospect Noelvi Marte taking a backseat the last two days, the AquaSox (15-21)have gotten multiple contributions from their roster against a Hops team reeling from the loss of top hitters A.J. Vukovich and Cam Coursey and frontline starting pitchers Scott Randall and Ross Carver, all placed on the injured list this week. All are expected to return for next week's home series against the Vancouver Canadians.

With the game tied 1-1 in the fourth inning, Everett put the fist three runners on base and scored them all. Justin Lavey singled to right and advanced to second when the ball got past Jose Curpa for the Hops' fifth error of the series. After a walk to Charlie Welch, Trent Tingelstad doubled home Lavey. With runners at second and third and the infield pulled in, James Parker grounded out to short, a ball not hit hard enough for shortstop Ryan Bliss to come home with the throw. The next batter Cole Barr hit the ball to third and Tristin English's throw home beat the runner Tingelstad, but the ball popped out of catcher Caleb Roberts' glove on the tag and Everett had a 4-1 lead.

In the fifth, Hops' starting pitcher Kenny Hernandez (0-1) retired the first two batters before surrendering a homer over the short right field porch to Alberto Rodriguez. After a walk to Lavey, Welch left the yard to right-center for a two-run jack and the lead was 7-1.

Everett scored the first run of the game on a Packard double and Rodriguez RBI single up the middle, but the Hops would even the score in the third. One day after hitting his first pro homer, Jose Curpa led off with a triple and scored on Tim Tawa's sacrifice fly to left. With two outs and none on, Hillsboro proceeded to load the bases against Everett starter Adam Macko on a Bliss single up the middle and back-to-back walks to Roberts and English, But Macko fanned Lyle Lin to end the threat.

Hillsboro failed to capitalize on five Macko walks in the first four innings and put the leadoff runner aboard five times in the first six innings, scoring on the one run. The Hops would rally against the Everett pen. After Mike Mokma (1-1) tossed a scoreless fifth and sixth inning and Brendan McGuigan got through the seventh unscathed, Tristin English hit a two-out solo home run to left off Luis Curvelo, the first of four consecutive hits as the Hops plated two in the inning to cut the lead to 7-3. But Everett responded with a two-run homer from Cole Barr off Collin Sullivan in the bottom of the inning to keep Hillsboro at bay.

Barr, hitting below .150 entering the series, has gone 4-for-6 at the plate with two runs and four RBI the last two games. Welch finished with two runs and two RBI.

Hillsboro matched Everett's ten hits, but left 11 runners on base. English and Lin had their first multi-hit games of the season for the Hops with English reaching base four times. Roberts had an RBI single in the ninth to go with two bases on balls, giving him 23 on the season, one off the league lead.

The Hops and AquaSox wrap up the series Sunday afternoon at 4:05 p.m. with pregame coverage starting at 3:50 on Rip City Radio 620 AM.