Ray Strikes out Nine as Hops Break Streak

Hillsboro, OR (April 27, 2023) – The Hops’ bats were awake for the 11:00 start on Thursday, scoring six runs on eight hits in the victory. Wilderd Patino, Shane Muntz and Jesus Valdez all had two-hit games and Dylan Ray struck out nine, in the 6-3 Hillsboro win.

Hillsboro got on the board early in their second game facing Connor Van Scoyoc in 2023. Shane Muntz and Gavin Logan each had a two-out RBI singles in the first, giving the Hops a 2-0 lead.

Dylan Ray was dealing in his fourth appearance of the season. An Arol Vera RBI single in the third was the only run scored for Tri-City against the Hillsboro right-hander. Ray exited after five innings, allowing just three hits and striking out a career high nine batters.

The Hops added more insurance runs in the fifth and sixth, scoring a pair in both innings. Shane Muntz hit a line drive off the batter’s eye in centerfield for his first triple of the season, the fourth of the year for the Hops. He came in to score after Jarrod Watkins’ two-RBI single that gave Hillsboro a 4-1 advantage.

In the sixth, Hillsboro got two more runs on two hits. Jesus Valdez roped a double that scored both, his fourth double of the year and seventh and eighth RBI.

The Dust Devils would cut the lead in half with a pair of runs of their own in the seventh against Eli Saul. Junior Mieses followed with his best outing of the season in relief, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings. The 6-2 lead for Hillsboro would remain intact entering the ninth inning.

Gerald Ogando was summoned to face the Dust Devils in the ninth and had a one-two-three inning. Ogando made his team-leading eighth appearance of the season and lowered his ERA to .96 while getting his second save.

Hillsboro (7-11) and Tri-City (7-10) will play the third game of the series tomorrow at Ron Tonkin Field. First pitch at 6:35 with the pregame show live at 6:20 on Rip City Radio 620 and Bally Live.