Second Half Slide Continues At Eugene

EUGENE, Ore. -- The Hillsboro Hops came out of the All-Star break hoping to turn around a second half swoon. Unfortunately, nothing much good has happened for the Hops in the city of Eugene recently.

The Emeralds outhit Hillsboro 12 to 3 and got stifling performances from three members of the bullpen to send the Hops to their 13th loss in the last 14 games, winning 6-2 Friday night in the opening game of a three-game weekend series at P.K. Park.

Eugene is now 13-3 against Hillsboro in 2026 and 14-5 against the Hops at home the last two seasons combined.

Things started promisingly enough as the Hops parlayed doubles from Jose Mejia and Jakey Josepha and a Zander Darby throwing error into a pair of runs in the second inning.

After Eugene plated a run in the second, Emeralds starting pitcher Hunter Dryden issued nine straight balls to start the third inning, walking J.D. Dix and Kayson Cunningham. But the former Whitworth University righty righted himself, striking out Yassel Soler and Kenny Castillo around a harmless Mejia fly out to center. The Hops wouldn't record another hit until the eighth inning.

The Emeralds took the lead in the fourth inning, stringing together four consecutive singles off Hillsboro starting pitcher Rio Britton (4-4), with Robert Hipwell and Isaiah Barkett delivering the tying and go-ahead blows. Hipwell was gunned down at second base Josepha in right, limiting the Emeralds to two runs in the frame.

An inning previously, Kenny Castillo threw out Jose Astudillo trying to steal third after a leadoff double, keeping at least one Eugene run off the board in that frame.

Britton allowed a career-high nine hits in six innings of work, but thanks to the defensive help and just two walks allowed against six strikeouts the lefty allowed just just three runs.

Dryden lasted just three innings for the Ems, but the Eugene bullpen was stout. Esmerlin Vinicio (5-0) handcuffed the Hops over three innings, allowing just one base runner after he plunked Yassel Soler to lead off the sixth.

In the Eugene half of the seventh, Isaiah Barkett and Carlos Gutierrez drew walks from John West before Darby cleared the decks with a long, two-out home run over the hemlock trees to the right of the batter's eye in center field to make it 6-2 Eugene.

West walked four batters with one strikeout over two innings of relief, surrendering two hits and three earned runs.

Cunningham ended the Hops' hitless streak in the eighth inning with a one-out line single to center off Liam Simon. But four pitches later, the inning was over when Soler grounded into a double play.

Gerelmi Maldonado walked Mejia to lead off the ninth, before retiring three straight, fanning Josepha and Brady Counsell back-to-back to end the night.

Barkett, who led the Low-A San Jose Giants in batting at .321, reached base three times in his Eugene debut, driving n a run and scoring a run with two singles and a walk. Jose Astudillo, who hit .337 for the Low-A Giants, doubled in his Ems debut, but more importantly robbed Soler of a hit with a key sliding catch to open the second inning, preventing the Hops from a potential big inning. Darby and Walker Martin each had two hits and a run scored.

Mejia and Cunningham were the only Hops to reach twice, each with a hit and a walk.

Game two of the series is at 5:05 p.m. Saturday night and the series finale will follow the World Cup soccer final between Argentiina and Spain on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. All Hops baseball games air live on Rip City Radio 620 AM.