Hops Back in Win Column with 4-3 Victory Over Eugene 

Hillsboro, OR (July 1, 2024) – The Hops returned home on Monday after one of the worst road trips in franchise history and picked up right where they left off at Hillsboro Ballpark, with a win. Avery Short pitched seven complete innings for the third consecutive start and allowed just one earned run while striking out 10 in the Hops’ win. Arizona Diamondbacks’ #2 prospect Tommy Troy made his return to the Hillsboro lineup after missing almost 10 weeks of game action and was 0-for-4 with a walk.

Hillsboro jumped all over Eugene starter Manuel Mercedes for two runs on four base hits in the first inning. Jack Hurley started off the hit parade with his 16^th double of the season and Gavin Conticello followed with an RBI single. Manny Peña’s RBI single made it 2-0 and they would give Avery Short a lead to work with in the bottom of the frame.

Short didn’t need much of that two-run lead as he was dominant again on the bump. Eugene’s only threat of the game came in the fourth inning when they loaded the bases with just one out and only scored one run when Zach Morgan was hit-by-pitch. Short struck out Kachel and O’Tremba to escape the jam and leave it 2-1 Hillsboro.

The Hops responded to that single run with one of their own in the bottom of the fourth on a Junior Franco RBI triple that scored Jose Fernandez. Hillsboro took a 3-1 lead to the fifth.

Short worked through the seventh inning for his third straight start and retired the final 11 batters he faced, six of them coming via the strikeout.

Eli Saul came in relief of Short in the eighth and allowed the first two hitters to reach base. Justin Wishkoski, the Emeralds’ team leader in RBI was the tying-run at the plate and battled in an eight-pitch at-bat, but he went down on a called third strike. An Eli Saul wild pitch and Bryce Edlridge’s third hit of the game brought the score to 4-3. A single by Rodoldo Nolasco ended Saul’s night as he faced five batters and allowed four hits. Alfred Morillo entered the game with two on and one out in a one run game and struck out Matt Higgins and got Zach Morgan to pop out and preserve the Hops’ one-run lead.

Hillsboro got sent down quietly in the eighth and would take the 4-3 lead to the ninth. Morillo stayed in for the Hops in the ninth and faced the bottom of the Eugene order. The Emeralds threatened with two runners on base, but Morillo would record the two-inning save as the Hops broke their seven-game losing streak.

Jack Hurley, Gavin Conticello and Neyfy Castillo each had two-hit games for Hillsboro, with 19-year-old super-prospect Bryce Eldridge adding three hits for Eugene.

The Hops and Emeralds will meet for game two of the series tomorrow night at Hillsboro Ballpark. First pitch is at 7:05 with the pregame show starting at 6:50 on Rip City Radio 620 and Bally Live.