Hops Lack Key Hit, Lose 2-1 in Vancouver

BOX SCORE

VANCOUVER, B.C. --- The Vancouver Canadians scored two runs without benefit of a hit in the bottom of the first inning on Friday afternoon at Nat Bailey Stadium, and it was enough to beat the Hillsboro Hops, 2-1. Hillsboro left eight men on base, and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Hops starter Ross Carver was uncharacteristically wild in the first inning. A one-out walk and an errant pickoff throw put a runner at third. Another walk had runners at the corners with one out. Miguel Hiraldo hit a sharp comebacker to Carver, a likely double play if he fields it cleanly, but he bobbled it. Instead of getting the sure out at first, Carver threw wildly to the plate --- his second error of the inning --- and the first run was home. Another walk loaded the bases, and Carver hit Riley Tirotta on a 1-2 pitch, forcing home the second run.

Carver retired the next two batters on a strikeout and pop-out, and turned his day around from there. Following the hit batsman in the first, Carver worked through the fifth, allowing just one more runner into scoring position.

But, as so often has been the case of late, the Hops couldn’t get a key hit. Catcher Lyle Lin did single home a run in the top of the second to make it 2-1, but they left runners at first and third.

Vancouver starter Trenton Wallace walked the first two batters of the fourth inning, but the Hops couldn’t do anything with it. With two out and runners at the corners, Hillsboro thought they had the tying run home on a first-and-third double steal, but the batter, Fox Semones, was ruled out for interfering with catcher Andres Sosa’s throw.

The Hops left two more on base in the sixth, one in the eighth, and one in the ninth. Lyle Lin was hit by a pitch to lead off the ninth, and Semones sacrificed him to second on a 3-2 pitch. (Semones was ruled out by plate umpire Sean Sparling on a tag by first baseman Damiano Palmegiani. Base umpire Zdenek Zidek had signaled safe at the same time Sparling signaled out. Sparling had the better angle and his call stood, despite the protestations of Hops manager Vince Harrison.)

With pinch-runner Caleb Roberts at second representing the tying run, Hops shortstop Ryan Bliss --- in search of his third hit of the day --- grounded out to third, and A.J. Vukovich flew out to right field to end the game.

Andrew Saalfrank had an excellent outing out of the Hillsboro bullpen, working three shutout innings and allowing just one hit (a single), with no walks and three strikeouts.

Hillsboro (8-11) has dropped four straight, and they’re 4.5 out in the second-half playoff race. First-place Vancouver (12-6) has won six in a row.

The fifth game of the six-game series is on Saturday night at 7:05. The radio broadcast begins at 6:50PM on Rip City Radio 620AM and www.RipCityRadio.com.