Hops Take Shutout to the Ninth, Hold on to 3-2 Win

Vancouver, BC (May 29, 2025) – Hillsboro was clinging to a one-game lead in the Northwest League entering Thursday’s game at Nat Bailey Stadium against Vancouver. Needing a win badly, the Hops would have one of the best pitching performances of the season as a team and hold off a late ninth inning rally from the Canadians. Vancouver had the tying run at third and the winning run on first with nobody out, but wouldn’t get either home as the Hops got the 3-2 win in game three of the series. Ben McLaughlin had a big two-out, two-RBI hit in the seventh and both Daniel Eagen and Nate Savino were brilliant on the mound in the win. Savino, the former third round pick out of Virigina has not allowed an earned run in 17.2 High-A innings.

Daniel Eagen was making his eighth start of the season on Thursday and his first time facing the Toronto Blue Jays High-A affiliate. Eagen continued his success in his pro debut season by sending down Vancouver quietly in the first three frames. Eagen struck out two batters in both the second and third innings, with three of them looking.

Meanwhile, the Hops got on the board first against Jackson Wentworth in the third. Three straight hits to start the inning brought Sim home after his leadoff double. Cristofer Torin got the RBI, his 19^th of the season to give Hillsboro a 1-0 lead. Scoring first has been big for the Hops in 2025, they were 15-4 while scoring first entering the game today.

The only time Vancouver got more than two base runners in an inning was the fifth, when Goodwin and Deschamps both singled with none out. That turned it over to the top of the order where Victor Arias struck out looking and then one of the best hitters in the league, Arjun Nimmala grounded into and inning-ending double play.

Hillsboro got runners to second and third with one out in the sixth inning, but Pat Gallagher came in and retired two batters in a row to end the threat. Hillsboro was holding on to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth where Nate Savino came in relief of Eagen. Savino sent down all three batters he faced on strikeouts, with two of them looking at a called strike three. The Hops got two insurance runs in the seventh that would end up being the difference in the game. With two outs Ben McLaughlin hit a single back up the middle that scored Rojas and Waldschmidt, who each stole a base to get in scoring position.

Nate Savino again sent down Vancouver one-two-three in the seventh while striking out three more batters. Savino then got two quick outs in the eighth, but the ninth batter he faced in his outing Nimmala got a two-out single. Hillsboro went to Carlos Rey who came in and struck out Sean Keys to take it to the ninth inning. Savino, the former third round pick out of Virigina has not allowed an earned run in 17.2 High-A innings.

Hillsboro was retired one-two-three in the ninth, taking a 3-0 lead to the bottom of the frame and three outs away from their first shutout win of the year. Carlos Rey was back out for the ninth and walked the first two batters he faced. The Virigina Tech product Eddie Micheletti Jr. then cleared the bases with a double down the right field line. It was 3-2 Hillsboro and on the second pitch of the at-bat to Gabby Martinez, he singled. That gave Vancouver the tying and winning runs on base with none out. Rey got Nick Goodwin to pop out to Torin at short, Deschamps to strikeout swinging and Victor Arias to groundout to third to end the game.

Daniel Eagen got the win for his five scoreless innings where he struck out eight and Rey got his second save of the year.

The next three games in Vancouver will be a 1:05 start with airtime at 12:50 on Rip City Radio 620 AM.