Ducks Deluxe

One Duck taketh away and another Duck giveth.
Former Oregon center fielder Austin Grebeck robbed the Hops of a home run last night, but his former teammate had the last quack. Tim Susnara drove in the game-winning run in the ninth with a two-out drive over the head of left fielder Greifer Andrade to give the Hops a 5-4 win over the Everett AquaSox in the opening game of a five-game series at Tonkin Field Thursday night.
The Hops went into Thursday night struggling with runners in scoring position and did little to alleviate those woes. Hillsboro was just 1-for-13 on the night in scoring situations until Susnara delivered the walk-off hit with the bases loaded, ruled an RBI single even though it bounced over the left field fence. The Hops had loaded the bases with none out against Everett southpaw reliever Matt Clancy, but Daulton Varsho bounced into a force at the plate and Pavin Smith fouled out to third, leaving it to the former Duck catcher to deliver the game-ender.
It was Susnara's second hit of the game and his first professional run batted in. Earlier in the game, former Duck centerfielder Austin Grebeck, playing right field for Everett, went over the wall to rob Varsho of a home run in the fourth inning. Undaunted, Varsho just hit it farther away from Grebeck his next time up, clearing the wall in right center field in the sixth inning to make it a 2-1 game.
Everett answered with two runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 4-1 lead, but a succession of errors in the bottom of the inning allowed the Hops to even the score. Stephen Smith hit a dribbler up the third base line and beat out an infield hit, but Camden Duzenack followed with a comebacker, fielded by Everett pitcher David Hesslink, who threw to second base to try to initiate a double-play. Both middle infielders converged at the bag and the ball went off the glove of second baseman Joe Venturino for an error, putting runners at second and third. Bryan Araiza followed with a base hit up the middle to plate both runners, the Hops first hit with runners in scoring position after seven misfires. A one-out balk by Hesslink moved Araiza to second. After Yan Sanchez flied out to the warning track in right, Paxton De La Garza hit a hot grounder to second that skipped off Venturino's glove for another error, plating Araiza with the tying run. 
Eight different Hops had hits, with Sanchez, Varsho and Susnara all going 2-for-5. Sanchez has now hit in all 14 games in which he has started, his only hitless game was a pinch-hit appearance Tuesday night at Eugene. 
Junior Garcia came on in relief of Hops starter Tyler Keele, who faced two batters in the seventh before Garcia took over. Despite allowing his first run of the year in the inning, Garcia, polished off the game, limiting the AquaSox to two hits in three innings with two strikeouts and no walks. Clancy, the third consecutive lefthanded reliever used by AquaSox manager Jose Moreno, took the loss, giving up three hits in the ninth.
Grebeck had an RBI single in the fourth to go with his home-run robbing catch. Andrade and Brayan Hernandez each went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Eugene.
Game two of the series starts at 7:05 p.m. Friday night at Tonkin Field with the pregame show airing at 6:35 p.m. on Rip City Radio 620 AM. The game will also be televised live on Comcast SportsNet NW.

The Hops went into Thursday night struggling with runners in scoring position and did little to alleviate those woes. Hillsboro was just 1-for-13 on the night in scoring situations until Susnara delivered the walk-off hit with the bases loaded, ruled an RBI single even though it bounced over the left field fence. The Hops had loaded the bases with none out against Everett southpaw reliever Matt Clancy, but Daulton Varsho bounced into a force at the plate and Pavin Smith fouled out to third, leaving it to the former Duck catcher to deliver the game-ender.
It was Susnara's second hit of the game and his first professional run batted in. Earlier in the game, former Duck centerfielder Austin Grebeck, playing right field for Everett, went over the wall to rob Varsho of a home run in the fourth inning. Undaunted, Varsho just hit it farther away from Grebeck his next time up, clearing the wall in right center field in the sixth inning to make it a 2-1 game.
Everett answered with two runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 4-1 lead, but a succession of errors in the bottom of the inning allowed the Hops to even the score. Stephen Smith hit a dribbler up the third base line and beat out an infield hit, but Camden Duzenack followed with a comebacker, fielded by Everett pitcher David Hesslink, who threw to second base to try to initiate a double-play. Both middle infielders converged at the bag and the ball went off the glove of second baseman Joe Venturino for an error, putting runners at second and third. Bryan Araiza followed with a base hit up the middle to plate both runners, the Hops first hit with runners in scoring position after seven misfires. A one-out balk by Hesslink moved Araiza to second. After Yan Sanchez flied out to the warning track in right, Paxton De La Garza hit a hot grounder to second that skipped off Venturino's glove for another error, plating Araiza with the tying run. 
Eight different Hops had hits, with Sanchez, Varsho and Susnara all going 2-for-5. Sanchez has now hit in all 14 games in which he has started, his only hitless game was a pinch-hit appearance Tuesday night at Eugene. 
Junior Garcia came on in relief of Hops starter Tyler Keele, who faced two batters in the seventh before Garcia took over. Despite allowing his first run of the year in the inning, Garcia, polished off the game, limiting the AquaSox to two hits in three innings with two strikeouts and no walks. Clancy, the third consecutive lefthanded reliever used by AquaSox manager Jose Moreno, took the loss, giving up three hits in the ninth.
Grebeck had an RBI single in the fourth to go with his home-run robbing catch. Andrade and Brayan Hernandez each went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Eugene.
Game two of the series starts at 7:05 p.m. Friday night at Tonkin Field with the pregame show airing at 6:35 p.m. on Rip City Radio 620 AM. The game will also be televised live on Comcast SportsNet NW