Largest Crowd of Season Sees Hops Outslug Dust Devils

A seven-run 4^th inning for the Hillsboro Hops (4-5 2H, 28-47) powered the visitors to an 11-7 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils (3-6 2H, 37-38) Monday night, in front of a season-best crowd of 3,383 at Gesa Stadium that celebrated America’s independence a day early with baseball and fireworks.

There were plenty of fireworks during the game as well, with the two teams combining to hit five home runs. The first, a two-run shot to left by Hillsboro 3B Ivan Melendez off Tri-City starter Sammy Natera, Jr. (1-5), gave the Hops a 2-0 1^st inning lead. The home nine would answer, though, scoring a run in the bottom of the 1^st on an RBI single by DH Arol Vera that plated CF D’Shawn Knowles to halve the Hillsboro lead to 2-1 through an inning.

The Dust Devils would jut out in front an inning later. C Gustavo Campero led off the inning with a jolt over the right field wall, estimated at 422 feet, for his sixth home run of the season and a 2-2 tie. SS Osmy Gregorio extended the inning with two out, singling on the infield and advancing to second on a wild pitch. Knowles then doubled down the left field line, scoring Gregorio for a 3-2 Tri-City lead through two.

The lead stayed there until the Hops’ offensive outburst in the 4^th, in which seven batters in a row reached base and scored, bookended with home runs by SS Jesus Valdez (solo) and C J.J. D’Orazio (3-run). The latter gave Hillsboro a 9-3 lead and made the comeback mountain a bit too steep for the Dust Devils to climb.

The home nine started chipping away at the lead, though, immediately. Campero came up for a second time and homered again, this time off Hops reliever Listher Sosa (2-1) out to right center. His second home run in as many at-bats, and his seventh of 2023, made it 9-4 through four innings.

Hillsboro grabbed two more runs in the top of the 6^th on back-to-back doubles by D’Orazio and LF Junior Franco, pushing their lead to 11-4. Tri-City kept clawing back, though, scoring twice in the 8^th inning to get a bit closer. 3B Werner Blakely started a two-out rally with a triple down the right field line, scoring on a throwing error by Melendez following a grounder by Campero. 1B Ryan Hernandez followed by mashing a liner to the left center gap for an RBI double, scoring Campero and making it 11-6.

One more run would get added to the Dust Devil tally in the bottom of the 9^th, after Knowles led off the inning with a triple. 2B Adrian Placencia grounded out to the right side, giving Knowles enough time to score the seventh Tri-City run of the night. A two-out double by RF Alexander Ramirez kept hope alive of a rally, but Hops lefty Carlos Meza struck out Blakely to end the ballgame and clinch a third series split between the two teams.

Gustavo Campero (3-4, 2 HR, 3 R) and D’Shawn Knowles (3-5, RBI 2B, 3B) had great nights at the plate, with SS Osmy Gregorio (2-4, R) adding a third multi-hit game to Tri-City’s 12-hit total. Reliever Hayden Seig struck out five in 2.1 innings, and Dylan Phillips pitched a scoreless 9^th inning to aid the Dust Devils cause in what turned out to be the highest-scoring game played at Gesa Stadium so far this year. All remaining at the park enjoyed a postgame patriotic fireworks extravaganza, presented by UScellular.

Tri-City heads on the road to begin a six-game series with the Eugene Emeralds at PK Park at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday night. Play-by-play man Chris Clayton, stepping in for Doug Taylor for the series, will have broadcast coverage beginning with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m. both here and at the MiLB First Pitch app.

After the series the Dust Devils will pause with the rest of the Northwest League for the All-Star break, returning from it with a three-game series against the Spokane Indians beginning Friday, July 14. Tickets for the Spokane series are on sale now, with special ticket rates available for groups of 20 or more. For more information on Dust Devils single game, season, mini-plan (11, 22, 33) and group tickets, visit dustdevilsbaseball.com, call the team office at (509) 544-8789, or visit the team office (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on game nights, or Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. otherwise).