Canadians Take Series With Seventh Straight Win

VANCOUVER, BC – The Canadians continued their terrific start to the second half Friday afternoon with a 5-2 win over the Hillsboro Hops [AZ] at The Nat, their seventh consecutive victory to improve to a perfect 7-0 and lock down this week’s series opposite their Northwest League foe.

Jackson Hornung started the scoring in the bottom of the first with a two-out, two-strike home run, his fifth of the year. It remained 1-0 C’s until Hillsboro tied the game with a run in the fourth then added another in the fifth to take a 2-1 lead.

A two-run bottom of the sixth put Vancouver in front for good. Dasan Brown walked to start the frame then Je’Von Ward and Hornung singled to load the bases. Jeff Wehler was hit by a pitch to force home the tying run and Robert Brooks delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly that made it 3-2.

After newcomer Aaron Munson put up a zero in his C’s debut in the top of the seventh, a lead-off error in the home half led to another C’s sac fly – this time from Ward – later in the inning. A bases loaded wild pitch in the eighth brought in the fifth and final Vancouver score of the afternoon.

Carson Pierce got the start and went a season-long 3.2 innings in which he allowed one run on two hits with no walks and five strikeouts. He passed the baton to Alex Amalfi (W, 1-1), who scattered three hits, one run, no walks and a pair of Ks over 2.1 frames. Grayson Thurman (S, 3) retired all six batters he faced between the eighth and the ninth to secure the win.

Hornung paced the offense with three hits and finished a triple shy of the cycle. Jean Arnaez added two hits while Brown and Wehler reached two times apiece.

A win tomorrow afternoon would match a franchise record. Ryan Jennings takes the ball for Vancouver against Hillsboro’s Jose Cabrera. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.