Hops Turn Tables In Eighth, Even Series

The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution may not get the same kind of lip service as a couple others, but it is there to protect citizens from cruel and unusual punishment. The eighth inning had been excessively cruel over the first three games of the HIllsboro Hops' series at Eugene, but on Friday night it was the Hops who doled out the punishment.

Jose Fernandez lined a single to center field that scored Gavin Conticello from third with two outs in the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie and the Hops (8-10( defeated the Eugene Emeralds 5-4 at P.K. Park to even their six-game series at two games apiece.

Hillsboro had leads in the eighth in the three previous games of the series, but had either surrendered the go-ahead or tying runs in each game. Listher Sosa (2-0) and Jean Walters combined to make sure this lead stuck. Sosa surrendered a walk and a base hit in the eighth, but a line out double play to Fernandez at third helped keep Eugene (14-5) off the board. After starting the game at second base, Walters surprised everyone by relieving Sosa in the ninth to pick up his first career save.

It was not the first time the 22-year-old Cuban utility player had pitched as a pro. Walters appeared in seven games on the mound at Low-A Visalia in 2022, but did not notch a save in his only opportunity. Featuring a handful of knuckleballs sprinkled in with a low-80's fastball, he retired the side in order working at lightning speed as Eugene hit a couple of rockets to Hops' defenders before cleanup hitter Onil Perez rolled out harmlessly to Fernandez to end the game.

Fernandez had a hand in all three Hillsboro scoring innings. With Christian Cerda on second following a walk and passed ball, Fernandez drew a one-out walk. After Manny Pena struck out, Walters hit a fairly routine grounder to first that Matt Higgins booted, then failed to corral as he fell on the ball in foul territory. That brought up Andrew Pintar, who banged a single into right center to plate two. A wild pitch brought Walters home and gave the Hops a 3-0 lead.

Eugene got two back in the fifth. Hops' starting pitcher Ricardo Yan continues to battle wildness, walking seven batters over 4 1/3 innings. the 21-year-old righty didn't allow a hit and fanned three, but his seventh walk got the ball rolling for the Ems. Carlos Meza entered the game from the pen after Turner Hill drew the free pass and promptly threw a wild pitch. Hill stole third on the next delivery to the plate, then trotted home when Diego Velasquez tripled to right field. A Matt Higgins ground out brought Higgins home to make it 3-2 Hops.

Eugene grabbed the lead with two more runs in the sixth, both charged to Meza, who surrendered three hits and three runs over his inning on the hill. Scott Bandura laced a single to left center to score Andrew Kachel, who hit a one-hop double over the wall in left center to open the inning. Eli Saul came out of the bullpen and also struggled to locate, walking Tanner O'Tremba on four pitches before plunking Thomas Gavello to load the bases. Hill knocked in the go-ahead run with a ground out to short and the Ems had a 4-3 lead.

Ben Madison, one of two pitchers on the Eugene roster with previous experience in the short-season Northwest League at Salem-Keizer, made his second appearance of the series. The product of NAIA Central Baptist College in Conway, Arkansas, breezed through two perfect innings with four strikeouts in the opening game of the series to get the win. He appeared on his way to another easy night after fanning the Hops side in order in the sixth inning, but Fernandez connected on a base hit to left to lead off the seventh. Madison threw wide of first on an attempted pickoff and the 20-year old infielder took advantage of the wide expanse of foul territory at P.K. Park to race all the way to third. But Madison struck out the next two batters, brining Andrew Pintar to the plate. Pintar worked his way aboard on a six-pitch walk, then with Juan Corniel at the plate made a break for second as Madison uncorked a wild pitch, sending Fernandez home with a headfirst slide to tie the game at four.

In the eighth, Seth Corry (1-1) took over on the mound for Eugene. Corry pitched for Salem-Keizer in 2018 and had one of the most dominant seasons in the minors in Low-A ball in 2019 at Augusta before the pandemic, shoulder surgery and wildness derailed his climb up the minor league ladder. Formerly a starter, now a closer, the lefty walked Gavin Conticello to open the eighth. Corry appeared to have Conticello picked off on a stolen base attempt but Higgins throw to second was high and the 6-4 Conticello was able to slide around the tag of Gavello at second. After a Christian Cerda single put runners at the corners, Jack Hurley popped up to shallow center field, not deep enough to score the runner. That brough Fernandez back to the plate. Tardy to the box, he began with an 0-1 count on a pitch clock violation than took an awkward swing-and-miss at a Corry curveball down and in. But on the very next pitch, he hit a soft liner to center field and Conticello raced home with what turned out to be the game-winning run.

Conticello's seven-game hitting streak came to a close, but he has reached base in all eighteen games he has played this season. Higgins reached base three times for Eugene with two walks and a single and also drove in a run. Hill had three of Eugene's five stolen bases as the Emeralds continue to put pressure on Hops pitchers and catchers up and down the lineup.

The Hops drama continues as they have now played 10 one-run games out of a total of 19. They are 5-5 in those games. Three other games were decided by two runs and all but four of their games have been close in the late innings.

Saturday and Sunday nights games will start one hour earlier at 6:05 p.m. Pregame coverage on radio begins at 5:50 p.m. on Rip City Radio 620 AM.