Ademan Out? Ump Says No

As the scuffling Hops continued to shoot blanks with runners in scoring position, Eugene Emeralds shortstop Aramis Ademan took advantage of that rare chance to create a first impression.
Down 1-0, the Emeralds first runs of the game came on Ademan's two-out, two-run homer in the third inning, one pitch after both teams had left the field thinking he had struck out. The Emeralds went on to score three in the inning and never trailed again, winning 5-2 for their sixth consecutive victory and second straight over Hillsboro.

After Ademan appeared to have waved and missed at strike three to end the third, Eugene manager Jésus Feliciano came out to protest. The two umpires got together and ruled that Ademan had gotten a bat on the ball and the Hops returned from the dugout. Ademan sent Hops starting pitcher Jhoan Duran's very next pitch over the right field wall, which seemed to rattle the 19-year-old righthander, who allowed two singles and two walks to the next four batters before leaving the game with the Hops trailing 3-1.
Emeralds' designated hitter Miguel Amaya led off the fifth with a home run to left off Luis Castillo, making his Hops debut in relief. Amaya went 4-for-4 on the night, including a double and two runs scored. It was the only hit allowed by Castillo in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked one. 
Hillsboro scratched out one unearned run against Eugene starter Javier Assad, who fanned nine batters without a walk, allowing six hits in five innings. Relievers Manuel Rodriguez, Mark Malave and Junior Marte limited the Hops to just two hits over the final four innings.
Hillsboro has gone 2-for-20 with runners in scoring position in the series (0-5 Tuesday night) and is a combined 2-35 with runners at second and/or third over their last three games at P.K. Park, including last season's South Division playoff series finale.
Tramayne Holmes, an 11th-round draft pick out of NAIA runner-up Faulkner University in Alabama, went 1-for-3 with a run scored in his professional debut, getting the start in CF. Holmes walked in the ninth off Marte, the only base on balls allowed by the Ems, eventually scoring on a wild pitch.
Eudy Ramos had a pair of hits for the second straight game and Cole Thompson, playing for the first time in five games, went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. Yan Sanchez ended the game with pinch-hit strikeout, ending his league-leading 12-game hit streak.
The series finale is at 7:05 (pregame airtime 6:35 p.m. on Rip City Radio 620 AM) before the Hops return home Thursday night for the first of five games against the Seattle Mariners NWL affiliate Everett Aquasox.