Hops Tie Franchise Home Run Record, Despite Loss to Spokane

Spokane, WA (April 19th, 2022) - The Hops hit twice the amount of home runs in Tuesday’s game, then they had hit all season long in nine games. They entered game one of a six game series with Spokane, tied with the Indians for the fewest number of home runs in the Northwest League (2). The four home runs by Hillsboro on Tuesday, tie the franchise record for home runs in a game. This had been done three times before, at Spokane on 8/2/14, at Salem-Keizer on 8/19/18 and most recently vs Vancouver on 8/21/21. Tim Tawa, Ryan Bliss and Jorge Barrosa all hit solo homers, with AJ Vukovich hitting a two-run homer. The Hops fell to Spokane 7-5, as the Indians offense had a 12-hit game, led by Rockies No.1 prospect Zac Veen.

Hillsboro opened the scoring in the second off Austin Kitchen, with the first homer of the night off the bat of Tawa, his second of the year.

Bliss hit his first homer of 2022, on a moonshot to left field off Kitchen giving the Hops a 2-0 lead in the third.

The 2020 #9 overall pick Zac Veen got the Indians on the board in the third, on an RBI double to the opposite field gap.

Indians first baseman Grant Lavigne hit a towering two-run home run to right field off Hillsboro starter Scott Randall, giving Spokane a 3-2 lead in the fourth.

That lead didn't last for long, as the Hops came right back in the fifth with two more home runs. Barrosa hit a solo shot and Vukovich followed up with a two-run home run off Kitchen, giving Hillsboro a 5-3 lead.

Kitchen finished with six innings pitched, five earned runs and four home runs allowed. Hops starter Scott Randall went five innings, seven hits, three runs and six strikeouts.

Julio Frias came on for Hillsboro in the sixth, when things went south. Daniel Montano and Bladimir Restituyo both hit doubles and came around to score on a single and an error by Vukovich, extending the lead to 6-5. That was the only recorded error of the game, but Barrosa also dropped the ball that ended up being a double for Restituyo earlier in the inning.

Veen added an insurance run for Spokane in the seventh, with a towering home run to dead center field, his first of the season.

Shelby Lackey came on to close the game in the ninth for the Indians, ending the game with a 5-4 double play and securing a 7-5 Indians win.

Hillsboro (5-5) and Spokane (4-6) will continue the series Wednesday, with the pre-game show on air at 6:20 and first pitch at 6:35. Seth Hoiland will have the call on Rip City Radio 620.