Ems Hold Serve, Beat Hops 9-1

Just three pitches into his first Hops start, things were looking easy breezy for Wyatt Wendell.

After a quick two outs, the Eugene Emeralds (15-5) rallied for three first-inning runs and never looked back on the way to a 9-1 win over Hillsboro (8-11) Saturday night at P.K. Park.

After three relief appearances, the son of former major league pitcher Turk Wendell took over Cole Percival's spot in the starting rotation. But his first turn did not go well. The Emeralds tacked on three more runs, all unearned in the third inning.

Meanwhile, the Hops couldn't touch unheralded Eugene starter Dylan Cumming, The lanky, long-haired Liberty University product breezed through four innings Friday much the same way he has all season. Undrafted in 2022 after posting fairly mediocre numbers at two college stops, Cumming has been arguably the most dominant starting pitcher in the Northwest League this season. The righthander fanned six with one walk, allowing just two hits to drop his season earned run average to 0.50. In five appearances, four starts, Cumming has allowed just seven hits in 18 innings pitched with 24 strikeouts and only four walks.

There was not much drop-off when Nick Sinacola (3-0) took over in the fifth. One of two products of the University of Maine on the Eugene roster, Sinacola surrendered the lone Hillsboro run, an Andrew Pintar home run in the eighth, one of just three hits he allowed over the final five innings. Sinacola has benefited from piggybacking on Cumming's starts, but has also pitched very well. In 17 innings, the former Emeralds starter has put up starter's innings, while allowing just eight hits and 5 walks with 17 strikeouts while also posting an impressive 1.06 ERA.

Matt Higgins ignited Eugene's first-inning, three-run rally and was involved in three of the Emeralds' four scoring innings. Now the NWL leader in batting (.381), on-base pct. (.544) and OPS (1.068), the undrafted free agent out of Bellarmine U. in Louisville reached base five times on the night and scored three runs. Higgins singled to center, advanced to second when Wendell hit cleanup hitter Justin Wishkoski with the next pitch, then scored along with Wishkoski when Scott Bandura tripled into the right center field gap. A Zach Morgan RBI single brought Bandura home with the third run. Bandura finished the night with three RBI and two runs scored, reaching base three times.

Higgins walked with one out in the third inning. Then with two outs, Hillsboro second baseman Manny Pena booted a routine grounder and Eugene made the Hops pay. Morgan followed with a double that took one hop off the left field wall to score Higgins. Wendell hit his second man of the night, plunking Thomas Gavello before Jack Payton delivered two more runs with a base hit to center.

That was more than enough for the combo of Cumming and Sinacola. Eugene outhit the Hops 9 to 5 on the night and now has sole possession of first place in the NWL standings after Spokane was rained out at Eugene for a third consecutive night.

Gavin Logan (single and a walk) was the only Hop to reach base twice. Gavin Conticello singled in the fourth inning to extend his on-base streak to 19 games. Juan Corniel went 1-for-4 to extend his current hitting streak to seven games.

After alternating wins throughout the week, the Hops will go for the split in the series finale on Sunday. Pregame airtime on Rip City Radio 620 AM is at 5:50 p.m. with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m.