Bullpen Day, Bombs Away

EUGENE, Ore. -- At the end of the night, the best thing the Hillsboro Hops could say about their Thursday is at least Vancouver got it worse.

The Eugene Emeralds (20-25 second half, 53-57 overall) faced six Hillsboro relief pitchers and scored against five of them, cruising to a 10-0 win at P.K. Park. Since winning the opening game of the series on Tuesday, the Hops (21-24, 56-54) have been outscored 17-1 in back-to-back losses, but still remain five games out of playoff contention. That's because Spokane obliterated Vancouver 13-0 at Avista Stadium. Everett also ended up on the wrong end of a laugher, falling 7-1 at Tri-City, meaning the Hops trail the second-place Canadians by five games in the second-half race and stay a game up on the AquaSox.

Roman Angelo was scratched from his scheduled start due to an ankle injury that is not considered serious. The right hander could pitch this weekend. Alec Baker (2-1) made a spot start and surrendered a run on three hits over three innings. That's all Eugene would need, but far from what they got.

Onil Perez drew a two-out walk from Teofilo Mendez in the fourth inning and Quinn McDaniel followed iwth a two-run homer just to the left of the center field hemlock trees at P.K. Park, his team-leading 12th of the season that puts the former Maine Black Bear one behind the league leaders in round trippers.

Mendez gave way to lefty Philip Abner with one out in the fifth inning. Abner kept Eugene off the board over his 1 2/3 innings, allowing a double and hit batter with two strikeouts.

Meanwhile, the Hops put runners on base in all four innings against Eugene starting pitcher Cesar Perdomo. Manny Pena looped a single to right on Perdomo's first pitch of the game, but was gunned down at second during the next at bat after trying to advance on a ball that popped off the glove of Perez.

In the third, Gavin Conticello followed a two-out walk to Gino Groover with an opposite field drive over the head of left fielder Scott Bandura. Unfortunately for the Hops, the ball bounced over the wall for a ground rule double, keeping Groover from scoring. Jack Hurley lined out to end the threat.

Perdomo fanned four and walked three over four shutout innings, surrendering three hits. Wilkelma Castillo followed with a quck 1-2-3 fifth, but back-to-back one-out walks in the sixth inning brought Tommy Troy to the plate representing the tying run. The former first-rounder popped out harmlessly to first and the Hops final threat wilted when Cody Tucker (3-1) came on to retire Jackson Feltner on a ground out to short.

The Ems ran away from there. Top prospect Bryce Eldridge smashed a two-run homer down the right field line off Eli Saul to make it 5-0 Eugene. Then in the eighth, Armando Vasquez walked the bases full with one out before Bandura cleared them with a one-hop double off the center field fence. One out later, Matthew Linskey came on to face Eldridge, who rocketed another two run blast well over 400 feet out to right center, threatening some cars in the parking lot. It was the 16th home run of the season for the rising 19-year-old star from Vienna, Virginia.

Perez reached base four times with a single, double, two walks and two runs scored. Bandura doubled twice, scored twice and drove in three, while Eldrive plated four RBI's with the second two-HR game of his career. Conticello (double, walk) and Christian Cerda (two walks) each reached base twice for Hillsboro.

Eugene outhit the Hops 10-4 and evened the season series at 10 games apiece. Game four is scheduled for a 6:35 p.m. start with pregame coverage beginning at 6:20 p.m. on Rip City Radio 620 AM