Hops Lay An Egg On Chicken Night

While a crowd of 3,462 at Ron Tonkin Field was entertained by "The Famous Chicken", the Hillsboro Hops lost the first game of a five-game series to the Seattle Mariners short-season A affiliate, falling 7-3 to the Everett Aquasox.

 

Ten walks and three errors proved costly as the Sox (14-12) capitalized with five unearned runs. Hillsboro (12-14) remains five games behind first-place Eugene (17-9) with 12 games remaining in the first half of the schedule. Everett remains a game behind first-place Tri-City (15-11) in the North Division following the Dust Devils 3-2 win over the Emeralds in Pasco. 

 

The game featured the top draft picks for each of the respective parent clubs. Hillsboro's Anfernee Grier (Lottery A round, 39th overall out of Auburn U.) hit his first Hops' home run, a two-run shot to the deepest part of the park in left-center field to give the Hops a 2-1 lead in the third inning. Everett had scored in the first after Kyle Lewis, college baseball's Golden Spikes Award winner and 11th overall pick in the draft out of Mercer U., tripled and scored on Eric Filia's RBI single. It would be Lewis' only hit of the night, but Filia reached base four more times on walks, scoring the first of three unearned runs in the sixth inning that gave Everett the lead.

 

Marcus Wilson went 2-for-2 with a double and two walks, scoring a run in the ninth for Hillsboro. 

 

With the Hops leading 2-1 in the fourth inning, Hillsboro starting pitcher Anfernee Benitez performed an escape act, pitching around three walks, a pickoff throw that glanced off first baseman Justin Chigbogu's glove for an error, and a potential double-play that never was after second baseman Adam Walton dropped the ball. Yojhan Quevedo hit a shallow fly ball to right center field that Wilson ran down for the final out of the inning as Everett left the bases loaded.

 

The Hops would not get a similar Houdini act in the sixth. Benitez walked Filia and hulking Everett first baseman Kristian Brito back-to-back to open the inning. Johmbeyker Morales bunted in front of the plate, but catcher Luke Lowery's throw to third bounced off Josh Anderson's glove for an error loading the bases. Relief pitcher Jake Winston came on with the sacks jammed and none out and walked pinch-hitter Nick Thurman to force in Filia with the tying run. A double play scored Brito and Morales would trot home on former Oregon Duck Austin Grebeck's bloop single to left field, putting Everett up 4-1.

 

The Hops botched another bunt attempt in the eighth when Lowery fielded Grebeck's sacrifice and sailed his throw out of Anderson's reach into left field. Quevedo scored from second base on the play. He had reached when his blooper to center field glanced off Wilson's glove as he attempted to make a sliding catch. Donnie Walton plated Grebeck with a base hit past the drawn-in infield and later scored on Brito's RBI double to left. Grebeck finished the night 2-for-3 with and RBI and a run scored. Brito walked three times on the night in addition to his double.

 

Benitez (2-3) was charged with the loss, walking five with four strikeouts in five innings. Three of the four runs he alowed were unearned. The Hops used five pitchers with Colin Poche pitching a perfect ninth with two strikeouts. Everyone else walked at least one batter, with Tucker Ward loading the bases on walks in the seventh before getting Thurman to bounce out to Chigbogu at first to end the threat.

 

Jake Brentz got the win for Everett, allowing two earned runs on three hits and three walks with one strikeout. The AquaSox outhit the Hops 8-5 and stranded 10 runners on the bases.

 

Game two of the series is at 7:05 p.m. at Ron Tonkin Field Thursday night. Pregame airtime at 6:35 p.m. on Rip City Radio 620 AM and ripcityradio.com.