Luciano Slams Ems to Win
Hillsboro, OR (August 19, 2022) – The Hops left 11 on base and were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, as the Emeralds’ pitching staff was solid after giving up 10 runs yesterday. Baseball’s No. 17 prospect (MLB.com), Marco Luciano, hit the third grand slam of the year for Eugene
Hillsboro, OR (August 19, 2022) – The Hops left 11 on base and were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, as the Emeralds’ pitching staff was solid after giving up 10 runs yesterday. Baseball’s No. 17 prospect (MLB.com), Marco Luciano, hit the third grand slam of the year for Eugene against Hillsboro, in the 5-1 win.
Back-to-back hits in the second by Pomares and Bailey scored a run for Eugene in the second, striking first for the second time in the series.
Whiteman, Matos and Brown all singled to load the bases with nobody out in the third. Marco Luciano followed by hitting the 1-1 pitch from Luke Albright to left field, barely getting it over the 325 marker and the outstretched glove of Gary Mattis Jr for a home run. The grand slam was the 8th of the year for Eugene and 3rd vs Hillsboro.
Nick Swiney was coming off a perfect five inning outing in his last start and would pitch well again on Friday. Swiney, pitched four innings and struck out five, without allowing a run. Hops’ starter Luke Albright finished five innings, allowing eight hits and five runs.
The lone run of the game for the Hops was in the seventh, when Caleb Roberts missed a home run by inches, scoring Bliss with an RBI double.
Brooks Crawford recorded the win out of the Eugene pen’, with Nick Morreale striking out four in 1.2 innings and Juan Sanchez striking out the side in the ninth.
The one, two and three hitters for Hillsboro all had a double (Bliss, Roberts and Lawlar), with Bliss reaching base four times.
Hillsboro (49-61) and Eugene (67-42) will play game five of a six-game series at Ron Tonkin Field on Saturday. The pre-game show will start at 6:50 with first pitch at 7:05, on Rip City Radio 620 and MiLB.tv.