Hillsboro Can't Hold on in Seesaw Battle 

Hillsboro, OR (September 9, 2023) – The second to final game of the 2023 season would be one of the most entertaining and longest games of the season on Corbin Carroll bobblehead night at Ron Tonkin Field. The Hops got out to an early 3-0 lead on a home run by Gavin Conticello, but a five run seventh inning for Spokane would end up forcing extra innings. On his 21^st birthday, Benny Montgomery hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the 11^th inning to secure a 9-8 Indians’ win. Jean Perez also added four hits out of the leadoff spot for Spokane.

For the third consecutive game the Hops scored first. This time, they got on the board in the first inning. Mason Albright was making the start for Spokane and entered the game with a 12-4 record and ERA just over 3.00. In a left-on-left matchup, Hops’ 1B Gavin Conticello took him deep high off the right field netting, giving the Hops a 3-0 lead.

Logan Clyaton was making his first professional start in a bullpen day for the Hops and needed just six pitches to record three outs in the first inning. He worked around a pair of walks in the second and runners on both first and second in the third, to pitch three scoreless innings.

Jack Hurley had an RBI triple to extend the lead in the fifth inning, his third hit of the game making him a home run shy of the cycle.

After Logan Clayton threw three scoreless innings out of the bullpen, Zane Russell would mirror that with three shutout innings of his own. Both Clayton and Russell had exactly three innings pitched, two hits allowed, three walks and three strikeouts. Zane Russell now has thrown seven shutout innings in his first three High-A appearances.

Hillsboro took a comfortable 5-0 lead to the seventh inning, sending Alfred Morillo on the mound. Disaster struck for the Hops, as they allowed five runs after three errors, a wild pitch, two walks and two hits. Each of the two throwing errors in the inning should have resulted in an inning-ending double play. Morillo was not charged with an earned run, but the game was now tied at 5-5.

Jean Perez led off the ninth inning with his fourth hit of the game, a double, but would get stranded at third base to leave the game tied at five. Hillsboro went down one-two-three in the ninth, sending the game to extras for the 14^th time this season.

A clutch two-out base hit by each team plated a run in the tenth. Jesus Ordonez had a go-ahead single for Spokane in the top of the frame and Gino Groover answered with a game-tying double with two-outs and two strikes to tie the game again at six.

On his 21^st birthday, Benny Montgomery hit the big blow with a three-run home run to give Spokane a 9-6 lead in the 11^th. The Hops wouldn’t go down without a fight as Juan Corniel hit a two-run homer of his own in the bottom of the inning, but Jack Hurley lined into a double play with the tying run on base to end the game. 3:21 later, the Indians took game five of the series 9-8.

The final game of the 2023 season will be tomorrow at Ron Tonkin Field. Pregame show at 12:50 and first pitch is at 1:05 on Rip City Radio 620 and Bally Live.