HILLSBORO, OR – An early lead proved not enough for the Canadians in an 8-5 loss to the Hillsboro Hops (AZ) Thursday night at Hops Ballpark.
The C’s raced out to a 4-1 lead over the first two frames. Peyton Williams provided an RBI double and another run scored on a fielder’s choice in the first then – after the Hops got one back in the bottom of that inning – sacrifice flies from Ryan Sprock and Williams in the second gave Vancouver a three-run lead.
Hillsboro scratched back into the game with two runs in the third then evened the score with a two-out RBI single in the fourth. The game would remain tied until the sixth, when Maddox Latta, Mathieu Vallee and JR Freethy each collected a hit to load the bases. A double play followed to score the go-ahead run, but the fact that the C’s failed to score more than once in that stanza would loom large later.
The Hops used a strikeout plus wild pitch to put the lead-off man on in the bottom of the sixth and that runner would later score to even the game at five. It would remain 5-5 until Jose Mejia hit a three-run homer with two outs and a 3-2 count in the bottom of the eighth to give the future D-Backs their first lead of the night as they handed the C’s just their second loss since the All-Star Break.
The series continues tomorrow night with Troy Guthrie taking on Hillsboro’s Eli Britton. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. on the C’s Broadcast Network.