Hops' Varsho puts up another five-RBI game

Daulton Varsho played in his 18th professional game Monday, and he logged his second career five-RBI performance and fourth with three or more hits.
Arizona's 2017 second-round compensation pick went 4-for-5 with three doubles and a stolen base while pacing Class A Short Season Hillsboro to a 9-2 win on the road against Vancouver.

Gameday box score
The showing boosted his Northwest League average to .375, and since July 5, the son of former big leaguer Gary Varsho is 21-for-40 (.525) with nine extra-base hits.
"When we first got him, he was real pull-happy. He does a lot better job now relaxing with his approach, staying in the middle of the field," Hops hitting coach Franklin Stubbs said. "Even in his practice work, it's the same thing. He pulls up against himself, because he knows what he's doing wrong, and now you can see him correct himself during games." 
Facing southpaw Canadians starter Brody Rodning with two outs and the bases loaded in the first inning, the left-handed hitter saw six pitches. Varsho, chosen 68th overall in June, lined the final one the other way to give his club a 3-0 lead.
"Against the lefty, he did a great job not trying to pull the ball," Stubbs said. "He worked the guy into a full count, and then he hit a bases-clearing double."

Two frames later, Varsho plated two more with a two-bagger to right against righty Chris Hall.
"It was the same thing," Stubbs said. "He worked the count and got himself into a fastball count."
The product of the Wisconsin-Milwaukee poked a seventh-inning single through the right side off lefty Grayson Huffman, then went the other way again against righty Brayden Bouchey for another double in the ninth. Stubbs wasn't the least surprised to see the 21-year-old catcher stay focused deep into the blowout. 
"Watching the way he goes about his business, he has a tendency to get upset with himself if he takes a bad approach. He can't stand that," the veteran of 10 Major League seasons said. "He puts a lot of pressure on himself to come through, so it doesn't surprise me to see him having good at-bats no matter what the score is."
D-backs second-rounder Drew Ellis put together an impressive night ahead of Varsho in the lineup, going 2-for-3 with a homer, a double, four runs scored, two walks and a stolen base.
"He has a pretty good idea what he wants to do at the plate, what he wants to hit," Stubbs said. "He has a good feel for the strike zone, and he doesn't chase out of the zone. He waits for his pitch and handles his at-bats very well."
Riley Smith (3-2) permitted a run on five hits and two walks while recording one strikeout over six innings for the victory.
Toronto sixth-rounder Brock Lundquist went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.