Don’t ever count the Hillsboro Hops out as they proved Thursday night coming back from an 8-0 deficit to win 9-8 over the Vancouver Canadians in eleven innings.  Camden Duzenack stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the eleventh and sent a single down the right field line to score Ryan Dobson easily from second for another walk-off win.  Duzenack’s single could have easily been a double if not a triple.  But, by the time Camden had rounded first, Dobson was approaching the plate and the mobbing by teammates had begun.

The game had a more ominous start when the visiting Canadians scored all eight of their runs in the top of the second inning.  Vancouver sent twelve batters to the plate generating a pitching change for the Hops.  The inning included four singles, a double, triple and three walks.  By the time the final out came when Bryan Lizardo was called looking at a strike, the score was 8-0 and many wondered if the game was out of reach.

Hops players believed otherwise.  Three runs were knocked off the lead in the following inning when Duzenack doubled and cleared the bases of two runs.  He scored off of Pavin Smith’s double at the next at-bat.

Down by five runs in the fifth, the Hops again went to work.  Bryan Araiza doubled and scored on Duzenack’s single.  Tra’Mayne Hoilmes came to the plate with the bases loaded and was hit by a pitch, forcing Duzenack home from third.  Pavin scored on a sacrifice fly to left from Ryan Grotjohn.  Jorge Perez doubled home Daulton Varsho for the fourth run of the inning.  The Hops were now within one run after being eight behind.

The game would be tied in the eighth after a Grotjohn double and a Dobson RBI single.  But the fans would be treated to extra innings before the final outcome was revealed.

As remarkable the scoring comeback was, equally so was the pitching after Vancouver drew a 8-0 lead.  After the second inning, the Canadians would safely hit five more time over the next nine innings.  Jose Martinez, Kevin Ginkel and Breckin Williams took the Hops through the ninth leaving Vancouver hitless during their time on the mound.  Ace closer Erbert Gonzales (W, 3-1) came on in the tenth and allowed one hit and continued the shutdown of Canadian bats, buying enough time for his teammates to score the winning run.

Vancouver’s Grayson Huffman (L, 2-1) started the ninth and gave up the winning run for the loss.

Five Hops batters had multi-hit games led by Camden Duzenack’s 3 for 6 performance along with three RBIs.  On the night, five different Hops bats doubled to go with eight singles.

The win put the Hillsboro Hops (5-3) back in the lead of the Southern Division one game over the Eugene Emeralds.  The loss dropped the Vancouver Canadians (3-5) to four games back of the Northern Division leading Spokane Indians.  Both teams return to Ron Tonkin Field Friday night for the second game of the five-game homestand.

Hops notes: Hillsboro received two more RHPs to the roster.  Juan Torres came up from the AZL-D Backs and made his debut in tonight’s game taking the mound in the second inning to help shut down the eight-run inning.  In a short stay at the AZL Rookie League, Torres earned a 3.52 ERA in five games, all as a reliever.  Juan is from the Dominican Republic.

Kevin McCanna, out of Rice University, was signed by the Diamondbacks as a free agent and assigned to the Hops on the same day.  The Joliet, Illinois native was originally drafted by the Houston Astros and was released in April.  In 43 games, twelve of them starts, McCanna has a 3.91 ERA and has struck out 116 batters in 135.2 innings.

Boxscore

By Greg Stoker
@GDStoker