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Cecconi Earns Second Win 5-2 at Tri-City

Hampton homers, Hops turn key double play
July 10, 2021

PASCO, WASH. --- Slade Cecconi worked five strong innings on Friday night at Gesa Stadium, pitching out of a big jam in his final frame, leading the Hillsboro Hops to a 5-2 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils. Hillsboro again drew a lot of walks early, but this time they

PASCO, WASH. --- Slade Cecconi worked five strong innings on Friday night at Gesa Stadium, pitching out of a big jam in his final frame, leading the Hillsboro Hops to a 5-2 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils.

Hillsboro again drew a lot of walks early, but this time they were able to cash them in. Tri-City starter Robinson Pina issued three bases on balls in the first inning, and with two out Hops catcher Nick Dalesandro grounded one off Pina's glove and behind the bag at second. Devils second baseman Kyle Kasser made a nice short-hop back-hand play, but couldn't beat the sliding Reece Hampton to second. Two runs scored on the infield hit, with Blaze Alexander surprising Tri-City by coming all the way home from second.

It was still 2-0 Hops in the top of the fourth when Hampton clouted a solo home run (he now has four home runs this year, two from each side of the plate), to make it 3-0.

Cecconi retired the side in order in three of the first four innings, but ran into problems in the fifth. Kasser doubled, Spencer Griffin blooped a hit into center, Franklin Torres singled home a run, and Keinner Piña singled home another. Livan Soto grounded into a 5-4 force play for the first out, and Brendon Davis walked to load the bases. The Hops were clinging to a 3-2 lead with one out, when Cecconi induced Jordyn Adams to hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

Hillsboro added a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. Andy Yerzy singled, one out later Dalesandro walked, and with two out Cam Coursey walked. Third baseman Roman Ruiz --- just 2-for-20 with the Hops with 10 strikeouts entering the at-bat --- singled up the middle, scoring two.

Wesley Rodriguez worked two scoreless innings for the Hops, pitching around a leadoff walk in the sixth (the Hops turned another double play) and two singles to start the seventh. Denson Hull worked a 1-2-3 eighth, and pitched around a leadoff walk in the ninth to earn his first save with Hillsboro.

Cecconi improved to 2-2 with the win. Coursey's 10-game hitting streak came to an end, as he was 0-for-3 with a walk. The bottom four hitters in Tri-City's lineup --- Kasser, Griffin, Torres and Keinner Pina --- went a combined 8-for-15; the rest of the Dust Devils' lineup was 0-for-18. Griffin is now 12-for-38 (.316) against the Hops, and 9-for-67 (.134) against the rest of the league.

Hillsboro (24-32) and Tri-City (20-37) have now split the first four games of the six-game set. Game five is slated for 7:05 on Saturday night, with radio airtime at 6:50 on Rip City Radio 620AM and www.RipCityRadio.com.