Sanchez Sizzles As Hops Swipe 2nd Straight W

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- With an abundance of talented starting pitching, the Hops have had to double-up early in the season to get all of their arms in rhythm.

In a piggyback tandem Tuesday night in Vancouver, David Hagaman and Junior Sanchez combined to strike out 16 Canadians batters as the Hops (8-14) picked up their second straight win, 5-3 at Nat Bailey Stadium.

Sanchez (1-1) was downright sensational, allowing just two baserunners over five innings. The 20-year-old righty fanned 10 without a walk, giving him 18 strikeouts and no walks over his last two appearances in 10 innings.

Yerald Nin delivered the go-ahead runs with a two-out, two-RBI single in the eighth inning. The 20-year-old second baseman had two hits, a walk and a run scored as the Hops picked up consecutive wins for just the second time this season.

Vancouver (9-13) sent NWL strikeout leader Daniel Guerra to the hill. After retiring the side with two strikeouts in the first inning, the 6-6, 230-pound hard-throwing righty watched his first pitch of the second sail out beyond the Vancouver bullpen in left field off the bat of Brady Counsell, his second home run of the season.

Vancouver answered with an even longer home run. The Blue Jays' #3 rated prospect, Arjun Nimmala followed a two-out Carter Cunningham double with a titanic, 437-foot home run over the video scoreboard in left center field, measured at 109 miles per hour off the bat, putting Vancouver up 3-1 in the third inning.

Hagaman would depart after the third after six strikeouts, two walks and three hits allowed. In came Sanchez and it was shutdown city for the next two innings.

The 5-10 righty from Santo Domingo struck out the Vancouver side in the fourth, then set the side down in order with another K in the fifth inning. After Nimmala fanned to start the bottom of the sixth, Peyton Williams roped a double off the base of the wall in the right field corner, then walked home after a pair of Sanchez balks. The inning ended with back-to-back strikeouts with Vancouver leading 3-1.

Sanchez pitched around a leadoff Dub Gleed double in the seventh, helped by a failed sacrifice bunt attempt that led to Gleed getting tagged out in a rundown and a strikeout-double play when batters' interference was called on Maddox Latta, who twice sailed his bat toward the Hillsboro third base dugout.

The Hops pulled even in the top of the seventh when Nin drew a leadoff walk from reliever Jay Schueler and Alberto Barriga followed with a two-run homer to left, his second of the year.

In the eighth, Yassel Soler reached on an infield hit after Nimmala made a sensational diving stop at short. The C's got another great play from second baseman Maddox Latta to rob Slade Caldwell of a base hit with a sliding stop in shallow right. But a two-out walk to Counsell and a wild pitch by Eminen Flores (0-1) put runners at second and third before Nin looped a soft liner over second base to plate both Soler and Counsell.

Joangel Gonzalez, who came into the night averaging over two walks per inning and an earned run average of 18.00, retired the side in order in the ninth inning for his first save of the year.

Nin and Barriga each reached base three times and Counsell scored two runs. Williams went 2-for-3 with a double and run scored, reaching base three times for the Canadians.

The Hops and C's hit the field for game two of the six-game series Wednesday night at 7:05. Thursday's game will also be at 7:05 p.m., with the final three games of the series at 1:05 p.m. All games will be broadcast live on Rip City Radio 620 AM.