Balk Costs Hops in 4-3 Loss

Hillsboro, OR (May 6, 2023) – Yu-Min Lin was brilliant on Saturday at Ron Tonkin Field in his fourth start as a Hop, striking out eight, but the Hillsboro offense couldn’t find the clutch hit. The Hops’ pitching staff struck out a combined 17 hitters, but the offense was just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position making them 2-for-24 over the last two games. The 4-3 win for Vancouver clinched a series win.

Diamondbacks’ #11 prospect, Yu-Min Lin, had all his pitches working on Saturday. The only hit he allowed was left on base when he exited in the fourth inning after eight strikeouts. That runner ending up scoring on an RBI double by Gabby Martinez, the first batter Listher Sosa faced. Martinez’s fourth double of the campaign gave the C’s a 1-0 lead.

Vancouver came right back with another run in the fifth, after another extra-base hit. This time, it was Riley Tirotta who tripled to lead off the frame, his first triple and eighth extra-base knock.

Twenty-year-old Vancouver starter, Dahian Santos, pitched five innings and allowed just three hits without an earned run.

Hillsboro continued to battle, getting two runs off tough right-handed reliever, Abdiel Mendoza. Mendoza entered the game with a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings. Three straight singles by Patino, Ortiz and Melendez got things started in the eighth, with the Hops later taking a 3-2 lead on an RBI groundout by D’Orazio. Melendez had an RBI single that was 109 MPH off the bat, one of three times Melendez had a reading of 105+ in the game.

The 3-2 lead was immediately erased in the next half inning, as Gabby Martinez came through with a clutch RBI hit again. Jacen Roberson had a chance to make a play at the plate, but bobbled the ball and didn’t get a throw off. The game was tied at three.

Jose Alcantara was on for his second inning of work in the ninth, when the Canadians had runners on the corners with one out. Alcantara was called for a balk that brought home the go-ahead run, giving Vancouver a 4-3 lead.

Connor Cooke came on in the ninth to face the top of the Hops’ order and had an easy one-two-three inning. The 4-3 win for Vancouver gave them their fourth win in five tries against the Hops.

The final game of the series is a matinee on Sunday at Ron Tonkin Field, with the pregame show at 12:50 and first pitch at 1:05 on Rip City Radio 620 and Bally Live.