Hops Offensive Onslaught Evens Series

They say a rising tide lifts all boats. With the Hops adding a top pick in this year's draft to the lineup Sunday, Hillsboro's moribund offense responded with its best performance of the season.
The Hops had a season-high 14 hits and clubbed the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 12-2 Sunday afternoon at Ron Tonkin Field.

The Diamondbacks top college pick in the 2018 draft made his Hillsboro debut. University of Virginia center fielder Jake McCarthy went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and drove in a run with a single in his first at bat, batting sixth in the order, in the first inning.
The Hops scored all of their runs in three big innings, plating three in the first, four more in the sixth and five in the 7th inning.
All nine in the batting order had a hit, led by McCarthy, Joey Rose (3-for-5, run, 3 RBI) and Tra Holmes (2-for-4, 2 runs, double, 2 RBI).
The Hops' previous season-high for hits was nine, done in the season-opener and second game at Everett, both Hillsboro victories. The Hops came into the game last in the NWL in batting (.194), while Salem-Keizer leads the league.
Cole Stapler pitched three innings in a rehab assignment from A Kane County, allowing three hits and no runs with four strikeouts and no walks to get the win in likely his only appearance in a Hillsboro uniform.
Salem-Keizer scored just two runs on 11 hits, going 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, while the Hops were 8-for-16 with runners and second and/or third base in the game.
The Hops and Volcanoes close out the six-game homestand and three-game series Monday night at 7:05 p.m. Hillsboro will wear special uniforms with a "Los Lupulos" logo honoring the area's Latin American community. The game will be broadcast on 1190 KEX starting at 7:00 p.m.