Hops Split Twinbill, Snap Losing Streak

The "permagray" cleared by noon and the Hillsboro Hops and Vancouver Canadians clashed under nearly complete blue sky for a pair of games Friday after rain postponed game three of the series on Thursday.

The C's (3-4) took game one 2-0, their second consecutive shutout win, but the Hops (3-4) came back in game two to earn the doubleheader split with a 5-2 victory at Nat Bailey Stadium.

Big extra-base hits factored into both outcomes. Hops lefty Avery Short pitched out of jams in each of the first two innings, but a leadoff infield hit by Jeff Wehler and one-out walk to Nick Goodwin set up the key blow that decided game one. Former Division III National Player Of The Year Ryan McCarty smashed a two-RBI triple into the right field corner and that's all the C's would need.

Geison Urbaez, making his first appearance on the mound since 2022, blanked the Hops over four one-hit innings and the Canadians pen took care of the rest. Naswell Paulino (1-0) tossed a scoreless fifth inning and got credit for the win. Hillsboro managed just three hits off four Canadians pitchers and lost its third straight game in the series.

The Hops had two decent chances to score. Tommy Troy singled leading off the fourth, his second at bat since leaving Saturday's game against Everett early with an injury. Troy swiped second and after an Andrew Pintar base on balls, scooted to third base on David Martin's deep fly to center. Manny Pena bounced into an inning-ending double play defusing the threat. In the seventh, Martin reached on a leadoff single off C's closer Justin Kelly. The inning would go no further as Kelly retired three in a row, fanning Gavin Conticello to nail down his first save to go with a Tuesday win.

After collecting one of Hillsboro's three hits in the opening game, Conticello had the biggest hit in game two of the doubleheader. The fourth-year pro from Coconut Creek, Florida blasted a two run home run to left center in the top of the fourth inning, scoring Pintar, who had reached on an error. That tied the game 2-2. It was Hillsboro's first home run of the season and Conticello's third as a Hop.

Hillsboro took the lead for good, taking advantage of more shaky Vancouver defense in the fifth inning. Juan Corniel led off with a base hit to center, then advanced to second on a Ryan Jennings wild pitch. Corniel was awarded third base on an attempted pickoff play when shortstop Estiven Machado was called for obstruction. On the very next pitch, Jennings balked, sending Corniel home with the go-ahead run.

The Hops weren't done scoring and the C's weren't done assisting them. Manny Pena walked with two outs, stole second base then broke for third on another wild pitch. Catcher Jommer Hernandez, who replaced an injured Kekai Rios in the third inning, threw wildly toward third, the ball ending up in foul territory down the left field line as Pena scored to give the Hops a 4-2 lead.

A two-out Kevin Sims RBI single in the sixth padded the advantage, but turned out to be unnecessary. Shane Telfer (1-0) blanked Vancouver over 2 1/3 innings of relief with two strikeouts and one walk to earn the win. Listher Sosa tossed a scoreless ninth for his first save of the year.

Jennings (0-1) allowed four hits and struck out six with one walk over five solid innings, but three Vancouver errors led to four unearned runs. The 2023 4th-rounder from Louisiana Tech has yet to allow an earned run through two starts and nine innings pitch.

Hillsboro starting pitcher Ricardo Yan lasted just 3 1/3 innings, thanks to five walks and several more deep counts. A two-run home run by Nick Goodwin in the third inning was the only hit Yan allowed. The Hops, led by two hits from Conticello, outhit the C's 5-3 in the nightcap.

The teams return to action with two more "nooners" to close out the series. Saturday's game will air live on Rip City Radio 620 with pregame coverage starting at 12:50. Sunday's finale will return to the alternate stream. Check the Hops website for information on how to access Sunday's game audio.