Robberse's Gem Heisted By Hops Walk-Off
HILLSBORO, OR – Seven shutout innings with two hits, no walks and four strikeouts from #7 Blue Jays prospect Sem Robberse was not enough for the Vancouver Canadians on Tuesday night, as the Hillsboro Hops (Diamondbacks) used two walks, a hit batter and a walk-off double in the bottom of
HILLSBORO, OR – Seven shutout innings with two hits, no walks and four strikeouts from #7 Blue Jays prospect Sem Robberse was not enough for the Vancouver Canadians on Tuesday night, as the Hillsboro Hops (Diamondbacks) used two walks, a hit batter and a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth to steal a 3-2 win out from under the C’s at Ron Tonkin Field. It was the fourth time in the last six games between the two teams that the Hops beat the C’s via walk-off.
In the nightmarish ninth inning, Jimmy Burnette (BS, 2/L, 1-3) walked the first batter, hit the next man then struck out the following hitter for the first out. After a four-pitch free pass loaded the bases, Tim Tawa clubbed a double to the warning track in centerfield that cleared the bases, stunned the Canadians and made Hillsboro 3-2 winners. The final frame was the only time the Hops put a man in scoring position.
Robberse brewed the Hops into a smooth, quick-drinking Dutch lager over the course of seven innings that lasted a little over an hour and a quarter. The Woudenberg, NED native allowed two singles – one in the third and another in the fourth – and faced the minimum in six of his stanzas. He needed just 79 pitches (54 strikes) to tie the C’s single-game innings high for a starter that he set himself one month prior in his first turn at The Tonk.
The C’s built a 2-0 lead with single runs in the third and seventh. Consecutive one-out singles form Davis Schneider and Andres Sosa in the third set up a sacrifice fly from Cameron Eden then #12 Blue Jay prospect Miguel Hiraldo singled home Zach Britton – who walked and went to second on a ground out – in the seventh to put Vancouver ahead by a pair.
Abdiel Mendoza worked a scoreless eighth thanks in part to an inning-ending double play that erased a lead-off single.
Schneider paced the offense with two hits. Hiraldo’s RBI single in the seventh extended his hitting streak to a personal-best three games. With the loss, the C’s helped Hillsboro snap a five-game losing streak. Vancouver is back to .500.
The series continues tomorrow night. #22 Blue Jays prospect Chad Dallas gets the nod for Vancouver and will be opposed by Hillsboro’s Scott Randall. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. with coverage on CanadiansBaseball.com and the Sportsnet Radio Network.