Andretty Mars Hops' Night

The Hops got to see a new home run leader emerge in the Northwest League. Unfortunately, they were seeing it from their defensive positions on the field.
Spokane's Andretty Cordero hit a two-run home run in the third innings, his third home run in as many games, and added an RBI double later on as the Indians clinched the finale of their five-game series against the Hops with a 6-3 victory Monday night.

Cordero's shot off Hops' starter Connor Grey was his sixth of the year, tying Boise's Daniel Jipping for the NWL lead. It also gave Spokane a lead they would never relinquish.
Hillsboro's Drew Ellis homered for the second consecutive game with one out in the second inning, giving Hillsboro a 1-0 lead. 
Spokane evened the score in the bottom of the inning after Grey walked Kole Enright with two outs and left fielder Yan Sanchez dropped Curtis Terry's deep fly to the warning track in left for an error.
The Hops jumped right back in front in the third with a two-out rally of their own as Yan Sanchez and Pavin Smith delivered back-to-back RBI singles, making Spokane starting pitcher Cole Ragans pay for back-to-back walks to Tim Susnara and Stephen Smith to start the inning.
Given the lead back on Cordero's blast out to left in the bottom of the third, Ragans showed why he was the Rangers' number one pick in last year's draft out of high school. The 6-4 southpaw from Tallahassee finished off his night by retiring 10 of the final 11 batters to face him, finishing with a career-high-tying nine strikeouts after fanning the side in the sixth.
Josh Advocate pitched three scoreless innings for the save, but had to work out of a jam in the eighth after the Hops loaded the bases on singles by Pavin Smith and Daulton Varsho and an error on Cordero at third that put Billy Endris aboard. Endris was hitting in Ellis' spot fifth in the order after the Hops' third baseman was ejected in the top of the sixth following a called third strike. Tra Holmes, twice drafted by the Rangers previously, came up representing the go-ahead run but fanned on three pitches.
Grey's three-game win streak came to an end after surrendering four runs, three earned, on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts over four innings. 
The entire NWL takes a day of Tuesday. The Hops return to action at Ron Tonkin Field Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. with the first of three games against the Eugene Emeralds. The Hops, Emeralds and Boise Hawks are in a three-way tie for first in the NWL at 14-12. Pregame airtime is at 6:35 p.m. on Rip City Radio 620 AM.