Hops Blanked In Vancouver Opener

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Avery Short is no stranger to tough luck losses and the Hillsboro Hops are no strangers to 2-0 losses at Vancouver.

Short (3-5) limited the C's to two hits and one unearned run over seven innings, but the Hops (1-3 second half, 36-33 overall) could not deliver against three Vancouver pitchers in a 2-0 loss Tuesday night in front of 4,679 at Nat Bailey Stadium.

In April's first road trip to Vancouver (4-0, 34-33), Hillsboro came out on the wrong end of a pair of 2-0 losses on the way to dropping five of six games.

Bad baserunning and bad luck combined to keep Hillsboro off the board Tuesday. Vancouver parlayed a one-out walk, error, passed ball and fielder's choice into a fourth inning run against Short, then manufactured an insurance run in the eighth, again capitalizing on a leadoff walk from Carlos Meza.

Meanwhile, the Hops had their chances against one of the hottest pitchers in baseball, Cuban righthander Lazaro Estrada (2-3), who was coming off a seven-inning, complete game no-hitter at Tri-City. Hillsboro put two runners on with one out in the first inning, but Estrada fanned cleanup hitter Gavin Conticello before getting Christian Cerda to fly out harmlessly to center. Junior Franco led off the second with a base on balls, but was caught off the bag when Kevin Sim lined out to third and that threat was erased.

After a 1-2-3 third inning, Jack Hurley blooped a leadoff single to right to start the fourth. Conticello followed with a sinking liner to center field, but Jace Bohrofen made a diving catch to rob him. Hurley made his way to third on a steal and throwing error by catcher Jommer Hernandez, but Estrada fanned Franco looking at a fastball down the middle to end the inning.

Peyton Williams overcame a 1-2 count to draw a base on balls in the bottom of the fourth. Jackson Hornung followed with an awkward chopper off the plate. With the 6-5, 255 pound Williams rumbling in front of Pena, the Hops second baseman was unable to field the ball cleanly. After a passed ball moved the runners up, Je'Von Ward grounded to Corniel at shortstop. As Williams sprinted home, Corniel threw to third to get the out on Hornung as Vancouver took a 1-0 lead.

Kevin Sim lashed a double off the left center field fence to open the fifth inning, but immediately got picked off by Hernandez after wandering into no man's land. Yet another leadoff baserunner in the sixth inning went uncashed as Jean Walters was left stranded at third base when Conticello hit a screamer to center that Bohrofen nearly overran, but snared for the final out.

Estrada completed seven innings, allowing four hits with six strikeouts and two bases on balls. Over his last five starts, the 5-10, 25-year-old righty has allowed just one earned run in 25 2/3 innings. Remarkably, he lost two of those games.

Avery Short can sympathize. The veteran southpaw racked up his seventh quality start of the season, fanning four with two walks and one hit batter, but ended up with his fifth loss.

Hernandez, throwing error excepted, had a fine all-around game. The C's backstop went 2-for-2 with a walk and had a caught stealing to go with his back-pick of Sim. Jamari Baylor had the only RBI of the game, driving in pinch-runner Marcos De La Rosa with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly. De La Rosa had gotten into scoring position by stealing third base.

Hurley singled and walked, extending his hit streak to a career-high-tying six games. He was the only Hop to reach base twice.

The teams return to action at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday night. The first three games of the series are 7:05 p.m. starts with the final three games Friday-Sunday starting at 1:05 p.m. A programming note: Wednesday's game will air on 1190 KEX due to NBA draft coverage on the Hops' usual radio home, Rip City Radio 620 AM. Pregame coverage begins at 6:50 p.m.