Bryce Eldridge homers twice, extends hit-streak to nine in Emeralds’ win

There was no primal scream, no exaggerated fist pump, and very little outward emotion from the Emeralds' first baseman.

Instead, in the defining moment of an auspicious high-A debut for Bryce Eldridge on Thursday night at PK Park, the 19-year-old simply swung his bat, pointed to the bullpen, blew kisses to his mother, Beth, in attendance and returned to his team’s dugout with a confident nod of his head.

“It’s huge having family here,” Eldridge said. “Anytime I can show out with family in attendance is great, when they watch me play I feel like I always have the games of my life, so I need them to stay out here more.”

Indeed, Eldridge continued his incredible start to his Eugene career, slugging a pair of home runs and extending his hit-streak to nine in the Emeralds' 8-0 win over Hillsboro.

The Emeralds needed it, riding Eldridge’s first blast in the seventh before pulling away with the help of another home run, this one a part of a five-run explosion to take control of their second-straight win.

For most of the game, the Emeralds held their ground, predictably with Eldridge going 0-3 in an inconspicuous start to his day.

But by the end of the night, the score was far more crooked. With Eldridge’s pair of homers coupled with a three-RBI night from Scott Bandura accounting for most of the damage.

Only helping Eldridge’s night was an on-deck circle surprise, with Beth flying down from Vancouver earlier today and surprising Bryce right before his first at-bat of the game.

“ You know, slow start, 0-3 to start the day,” Eldridge said. “But I saw my beautiful mother calling my name before I hit and I knew it would be a good day. The last two at-bats I turned it up a bit and gave her some gifts, so that was fun.”

The win moves the Emeralds to 20-25 in the second half, with more performances like Eldridge’s key for “gearing up for a postseason push.”

Although the outward emotion was minimal, being doused in Gatorade by Charlie Szykowny was the perfect exclamation mark for Eldridge’s big night.

“Obviously huge for the team, we are going to try to keep stacking wins and make a big push to the postseason.”

Short Hops

Beth signed autographs as "Bryce's mom" postgame.