Longball Leads Hops Past Frogs 

May 29, 2023 (Everett, WA) – For the first and only time all season the Hops played on a Monday and it treated them well. Game one of the series on Memorial Day between the Hops and AquaSox at Funko Field saw the Hops’ offense put on a show. Hillsboro had 11 hits in the game and got home runs from Channy Ortiz, J.J. D’Orazio and Gary Mattis Jr., in the 8-4 win.

Yilber Diaz entered the game coming off four no-hit innings in his last outing, while striking out 16 over his last 7.1 innings pitched. The AquaSox jumped on him early, scoring three runs in the first inning. Two walks, an RBI single by Tyler Locklear and a two-RBI triple by Axel Sanchez gave them the 3-0 advantage. Sanchez was the final out of the frame at third, as Hops’ catcher J.J. D’Orazio bare handed a wild pitch that bounced off the backstop and picked him off diving back to the bag.

Hillsboro answered with a run of their own in the first, the first run that Nick Davila allowed at High-A this season (5 IP). D’Orazio had his first of three RBI on the night on a groundout.

Everett would load the bases with nobody out against Diaz in the second, after two walks and an error. Once again, the runner at third was picked off, followed by a strikeout of Harry Ford and groundout by Ben Ramirez. It was 3-1 Everett after two.

The Hops loaded the bases in the fourth with Davila on the mound and scored a run on a walk by Junior Franco. The 20-year-old was making his High-A and season debut and picked up his first RBI on the play. With the bases still loaded, Brett Johnson grounded into a 1-2-3 inning ending double play.

Channy Ortiz led off the fifth inning with a solo home run, his second of the year. The solo shot tied the game at three. Three hitters later, Hops’ catcher, J.J. D’Orazio hit his second home run of the year, a two-run blast to give Hillsboro a 5-3 lead.

The Hops wouldn’t look back from there, despite the AquaSox drawing to within one in the fifth. It was 5-4 in the sixth when the bases were loaded again. Walking Cabrera swung at the first pitch he saw from Dillon Larsen and popped out to second to end the threat.

Insurance runs came for Hillsboro in the seventh off the bat of Gary Mattis Jr., his fourth home run, a three-run longball.

The 8-4 lead stood into the bottom of the seventh, where Everett had one final threat. Once again, with the bases loaded, Harry Ford was the hitter. Listher Sosa got him to roll over on a ball to shortstop and grounded into an inning ending double play.

Sosa finished the final two innings, including a one-two-three ninth, on the way to his second save. Ellensburg native, Dillon Larson, got the win in a return to his home state.

Everett was 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded 14 runners on base.

Channy Ortiz, Jesus Valdez and Josh Day all had two hit games, with Ortiz, Mattis and Day each scoring two runs in the win.