Balk! Balk! Eugene beats Hops on Opening Night, 2-0

Eugene, Ore. --- The Eugene Emeralds won the Northwest League Championship in 2018 in the strangest of ways --- on a walkoff, title-winning balk. Fast forward nine months… and their first run of the 2019 season came home… on a balk. It was part of a two-run second inning for the Ems that proved to be the only runs of the game.
Hops starter Luis Frias allowed only four baserunners in five innings, but three came in the second. Jake Slaughter led off for Eugene with a booming double to center. Jonathan Soto was fooled on an off-speed pitch, but his half-swing hopper resulted in an infield single. Then, with runners on first and third, Frias balked, allowing Slaughter to score. Edmond Americaan followed with a two-bagger of his own, scoring Soto, to make it 2-0 Eugene.

Frias then retired the next 12 hitters he faced. His final line: five innings, four hits, two runs (both earned), with no walks and eight strikeouts. (His eight Ks matched the most by any Hops starter during the entire 2018 season).
Erin Baldwin worked the final three innings for Hillsboro. He retired the first six he faced on just 11 pitches, and pitched around a leadoff walk --- and a balk of his own --- to toss a scoreless bottom of the eighth.
But Frias' and Baldwin's efforts wouldn't be enough. Hillsboro mustered just five hits (they actually out-hit Eugene 5-4), all singles. Their best chance came in the first, when shortstop Steven Leyton singled, and first baseman Andy Yerzy walked with one out. But Eugene starter Zach Mort struck out Hops center fielder Jesus Marriaga and right fielder Kristian Robinson to end the threat.
Hillsboro went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Yerzy had two of the Hops' five hits.
Frias took the loss, and right-hander Carlos Vega earned the win with two perfect innings of relief for Eugene.
Game two of the three-game series is at 7:05 PM on Saturday. The radio pregame show begins at 6:35 on Rip City Radio 620AM.