Pavin The Way To First Place

The Northwest League's most potent offense put together it's most explosive performance of the season, breaking a franchise record less than two weeks old.
One night after smashing nine extra base hits, the Hops did one better with ten, putting together four big innings in a 19-7 evisceration of the Vancouver Canadians at Nat Bailey Stadium Tuesday night. The franchise record run total gave the Hops their fourth consecutive win in the series, pulled them into a three-way tie for first place in the division and put them within a game of a rare sweep in the Terminal City.

All nine Hops had a hit with the middle of the order especially frisky.
Pavin Smith had the best game of his young career. A first-round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Hops' cleanup hitter went 5-for-5 with a double, triple, five runs scored and three runs batted in. Hitting one slot ahead of the former University of Virginia star, Hops' third baseman Eudy Ramos had four hits, including a pair of doubles and four runs scored. Batting fifth in the order, Hops' designated hitter Drew Ellis, a second-round draft pick from Louisville, homered for the second consecutive night, going 2-for-5 with three runs scored and four runs batted in.
Earlier in the series, the Hops' did their damage early. This time it took until the fourth inning for either team to get on the board. Hillsboro's Camden Duzenack led off with a single to left before Ramos and Smith followed with back-to-back doubles, Smith driving in two to give the Hops a 2-0 lead. With two outs, Tra Holmes doubled down the left field line to plate Smith, later scoring on Ryan Grotjohn's base hit.
Vancouver answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth, but the Hops countered with three runs in the fifth, the key blows an RBI double by Ramos and a run-scoring triple by Smith.

Hillsboro peppered Vancouver starting pitcher Wilfi Aleton for ten hits and seven runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched and continued to punish the Canadians bullpen, seeing six different pitchers in all.
Hillsboro starting pitcher Mitchell Aker had a strong outing, pitching into the seventh before surrendering a three-run homer to Vancouver first baseman David Jacob. Aker allowed five earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and three bases on balls, nailing down his first win of the season. He departed with an 11-5 lead after Daulton Varsho's three-run homer in the top of the sixth inning keyed another four-run outburst for the Hops.
Holmes added his second professional homer in the ninth to cap Hillsboro's scoring.
The Hops' 21 hits fell shy of the franchise record set on July 5 at Salem-Keizer, when they set the previous franchise record for runs scored with 17.
With Eugene losing to Everett and Boise defeating Tri-City, the Hops are back in a three-way tie with the Emeralds and the Hawks atop the NWL South Division with five games remaining before the first-half cutoff when division champions will be crowned and playoff berths secured.
Hillsboro and Vancouver wrap up the five-game series Wednesday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. with pregame coverage starting at 12:35 p.m. on Rip City Radio 620 AM.