The Hill City Howlers stomped the Salem RidgeYaks 16-2 on Tuesday evening, scoring 12 in the first four innings.
Jose Pirela finished a homer shy of the cycle, while also picking up five RBIs. Riley Nelson had a quiet day at the plate but set a season high with five walks in one game.
The game spiraled quickly on the RidgeYaks as the Howlers pieced together two-straight four run frames to open the night. Jose Pirela began the scoring with a three-run triple in the first inning. Yeiferth Castillo followed with an RBI single.
In the second, Riley Nelson drew a bases loaded walk to put the first run on the board in the frame. Pirela blooped a single into left for another before Castillo walked in a third. The inning was capped off with a Tyler Howards sacrifice fly, putting the Howlers up 8-0.
Hill City continued to add on in the third as Robert Arias singled on a line drive to center field, scoring Dauri Fernandez.
The fourth saw a return to the crooked numbers for Hill City. Luis De La Cruz scored two with a double to left before a third touched home on a ground out from Dauri Fernandez. Leaving the fourth, the Howlers led 12-0.
The Howlers went quietly in the fifth and the sixth but returned to their ways in the seventh frame. Pirela picked up this third hit of the day, driving home his fifth RBI. Yeiferth Castillo and Tyler Howard drove home a run apiece with ground outs to move in front 15-0.
Hill City scratched across one more in the eighth inning as Cannon Peebles drove home a run with a liner.
The RidgeYaks had to wait until the ninth to put runs on the board. Ilan Fernandez plated one with a ground-ball double-play with the bases loaded before Enddy Azocar scored another with a double. For Azocar, he accounted for four of Salem’s six hits, with Starlyn Nunez picking up the other two.
The Howlers and RidgeYaks battle again on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at City Stadium. Tickets are available at hchowlers.com.