PASCO – Starter Chase Shores threw six scoreless innings in his longest start as a professional Sunday night for the Tri-City Dust Devils (20-22 2H, 55-53), riding two early two-run home runs to a 4-2 win over the Hillsboro Hops (18-24 2H, 50-58) in front of 2,676 fans at Gesa Stadium.
A night after wildfire smoke blew in and caused umpires to call Saturday night’s game after the 7th inning stretch, clearer air and blue skies prevailed on the team’s first-ever jersey giveaway night (presented by Papa Murphy’s). Both starters, Shores (3-2) for Tri-City and Hillsboro’s Kyle Ayers (5-5), set down the side in order in the 1st.
The first two-run homer came in the bottom of the 2nd inning, after DH Ryan Nicholson led off the inning with a single. 1B Ryland Zaborowski then came up and hit a towering no-doubter of a blast to left for his first High-A home run, giving the Dust Devils a 2-0 lead. The longball measured 442 feet off the bat, landing out in the soccer fields.
An inning later, SS Kendrey Maduro managed to spin one to the infield for a hit, extending the inning with two outs to 3B Harold Coll. The slugging righty then got full extension on a pitch from Ayers, sending his own two-run shot over 400 feet to left to make it a 4-0 game.
All the while Shores cruised along, with the defense behind him playing the hits via a couple of inning-ending double plays as they had Saturday night. Though only striking out three Hops along the way, the righty kept control of the game and let his defense do the rest.
Hillsboro put pressure on Tri-City twice late, first by loading the bases in the 7th with no one out. Reliever Benny Thompson, who walked two to put himself in some hot water, then limited potential damage by allowing only a sac fly for the Hops’ first run of the night. Flame-throwing Fulton Lockhart then got the last six outs by strikeout, allowing a run but holding on for his first High-A save and clinching a series split for his team.
DUST DEVILS NOTES
-The weekend sweep by the Dust Devils made it two weekends in a row that manager Dann Bilardello’s team rallied after losing the first three games. The squad has pulled off the feat three times this year, the first coming in Vancouver in late April.
-All three of Chase Shores’s professional wins have come at the expense of a team based in Oregon. Two of his three wins have come against Hillsboro, and his win last week came at Eugene.
-Tri-City remained two games back in the race for the second playoff berth in the Northwest League. The Vancouver Canadians beat the Everett AquaSox 9-3 at Everett Memorial Stadium, taking a road series win in their only 2026 visit to Snohomish County. The Sunday afternoon finale between the Eugene Emeralds and the Spokane Indians at Avista Stadium was canceled due to poor air quality and will not be made up.
UP NORTH, EH?
The Dust Devils hop on the bus to go north of the border, taking on the Vancouver Canadians in a six-game series beginning at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday night, August 11, at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium. Wednesday and Thursday’s games have also been scheduled for 7:05 p.m., with the traditional 1:05 p.m. Friday afternoon game following. Saturday evening’s game will take place at 5:05 p.m., before another 1:05 p.m. game closes the series Sunday.
Free broadcast coverage on the MiLB app and dustdevilsbaseball.com will begin Tuesday night with the Dust Devils Pregame Show at 6:45 p.m. Fans can also watch the game for free on Bally Sports Live (Vancouver broadcast), and via subscription on MLB.tv and the MiLB app.
Tri-City comes back after the week abroad to host the Everett AquaSox for a six-game set beginning Tuesday, August 18. For tickets to the Everett series, as well as all 2026 Dust Devils home games, visit the official ticket site, dustdevilsbaseball.com.