Hops Comeback in Dramatic Fashion, Offense Stays Hot

Everett, WA (August 7, 2022) – The Hops put up 13 runs and 18 hits last night and followed it up with 14 runs and 16 hits on Sunday. Hillsboro scored first for the ninth time in 10 games, while hitting a home run for the ninth straight contest. Jordan Lawlar had his best game since joining the Hops, going 4-for-6 with a double, home run, four RBI and three runs scored. Gary Mattis Jr. was a late add to the lineup after joining the team this morning and he finished the game a triple shy of the cycle, including his first High-A home run that tied the game at 11. Deyvison De Los Santos homered again, his fifth blast in just 15 games and finished the game with three RBI. The Hops now have their longest winning streak of the season at five, after the 14-11 victory over Everett.

Everett had three singles in the first inning, but A.J. Vukovich recorded the final out of the inning at the plate, throwing out Alberto Rodriguez on a hard-hit ball by Dariel Gomez. It remained 0-0 after one.

The scoring started in the third inning, as Deyvison De Los Santos hit a two-out, two-run home run against Bryan Woo. The home run by De Los Santos made it nine games in a row that Hillsboro has homered.

Trent Tingelstad led off the third inning by hitting a home run on the first pitch he saw from Luke Albright. The bases were loaded later in the inning, after a single and two walks, sending AquaSox catcher, David Sheaffer to the dish. Sheaffer belted a ball to left field, missing a grand slam by inches. Instead, he cleared the bases with a three-RBI double. Luke Albright was pulled after 2.2 innings, allowing seven hits and five earned runs. There were eight combined runs in the third inning, as Everett had a 5-3 lead.

The first two runners reached base for the AquaSox in the fourth inning against Marcos Tineo, the first reliever for the Hops. Robert Perez Jr. hit an opposite field three-run shot, his third hit of the game, giving Everett an 8-3 lead.

Bryan Woo exited the game after pitching four innings, allowing seven hits and two earned runs. The first of six relievers for Everett was Seattle Mariners’ closer, Diego Castillo. Castillo made his first rehab appearance in the minors since heading to the IL with “right shoulder inflammation” and it was an outing he would like to forget about. The first four hitters reached base, with De Los Santos and Malave batting in runs on singles, with another run scoring from an error. A.J. Vukovich had another clutch two-out hit, driving home two with a single and tying the game at 8. Castillo allowed four earned runs and recorded just two outs.

Everett struck back in the sixth, with Dariel Gomez hitting his league leading 18th home run of the season, a laser shot to right field. The hit by Gomez was the third time in the game that Everett scored three runs with one swing of the bat (Sheaffer double, Perez Jr. homer).

The Hops came back from an 8-3 deficit earlier in the game, but would find themselves trailing again in the later innings. With Everett leading 11-8 heading to the seventh inning, Hillsboro put together three straight two-run innings to cap off the comeback.

Jordan Lawlar was up to bat with the bases loaded and two outs, when he smoked a single back up the middle, scoring two runs. Once again, the Hops did damage with two outs, as Gary Mattis Jr. hit his first High-A home run with two outs in the eighth, tying the game at 11. Malave reached base on an E6 and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Channy Ortiz was the hitter, with two outs, when he split the left-center gap with a go-ahead RBI double.

Christian Montes De Oca worked a scoreless bottom half of the eighth, putting himself in position to come back for the ninth.

Lawlar made sure Montes De Oca had some insurance runs in the ninth, as he belted his second High-A home run to left field, his fourth hit of the game and third and fourth RBI.

Montes De Oca came on for the final frame, with a 14-11 lead and closed the door on Everett, striking out two and preserving the Hops fifth straight win. Montes De Oca is 5/5 in save opportunities with Hillsboro.

Hillsboro scored 27 runs on 34 hits in the last 24 hours. They will now head back home for a 12-game homestand, starting with six against the Spokane Indians on Tuesday. First pitch will be at 7:05, with the pre-game show live at 6:50 on Rip City Radio 620 and MiLB.tv.