Lucas Herbert debuted for the Hillsboro Hops and made his presence known with a double, triple, two scores and two RBIs.  Small ball is still alive in Hopsville but, along with Kristian Robinson’s second double of the season tonight, the team is starting to show a power game as well.  Together, they downed the host Tri Cities Dust Devils 8-1.

Deyni Olivero Leads Smothering Attack

Equally impressive is another fine outing from the Hops pitching staff.  Following two shut-outs, the Hops have now allowed only one run in the last three games.  In that same time frame, the Hops bats have pounded 16 runs across the plate.

Tonight’s starting pitcher, Deyni Olivero (W 1-0), set the tone early for the win.  Olivero, also making his Hops debut, ruled the mound for the first five innings of the game, limiting the host team to four hits and their only run.  The three year veteran was promoted from the Missoula Osprey last Monday. He played for the Osprey last year where he was named a Mid-Season All-Star.

The Bullpen

Olivero was followed by former 2014/15 Hops Jared Miller making his second appearance this season.  Miller continued his control by keeping the Dust Devils scoreless and adding to his strike out total (1) of four over two innings this season.  You can read my interview with Jared from 2015 here.

Jacob Stevens continued the dominance with his Hops debut.  The former 2018 draft choice was promoted from the Missoula Osprey last Monday as well.  Stevens pitched most of the final three innings giving up one hit and striking out four. The former Boston College Eagle ran into some trouble trying to get the last out of the game.

To the mound stepped Bryan Menendez making his second appearance of the season.  He faced Jordy Barley and mowed him down with three straight strikes. The last strike was greeted by a swinging miss to end the game.  Omar Cruz (L, 0-1) started for the Dust Devils and absorbed the loss after three innings.

Lucas Herbert Debuts

Lucas Herbert gave a strong, all-around performance.  His triple in the fourth set up his score off of Ricky Martinez’ sacrifice fly.  His double in the eighth scored Ryan January and Herbert then came home on a Steve Layton single.  Herbert’s most memorable contribution, however, had to be his bringing in a run by… walking. The bases were loaded at the time and Jorge Barrosa benefited with the free trip home.

Herbert was not alone in solid contributions.  All Hops batters contributed at least one hit. Seven Hops either scored a run or knocked one across home if not both.  All in all, eleven hits and ten walks gave the Hops plenty of chances to keep adding to the scoreboard. Kristian Robinson singled and doubled.  In addition to Herbert, Jorge Barrosa also managed two scores. Barrosa also walked three times during the game. The first and sixth innings were the only innings to not feature a Hops base runner.

Standings

The win drew the Hillsboro Hops (3-1) into a tie atop the Southern Division with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.  The loss dropped the Tri City Dust Devils (1-3) to two games behind the Northern Division leading Spokane Indians.

Both teams will meet Tuesday night for the second game in the series in the Tri Cities.  Erin Baldwin is scheduled to take the mound for the Hops. In his last appearance, Baldwin stepped in on the season opening night to pitch the last three innings, keeping the Ems hitless.  For the Dust Devils, Cullen Dana is slated for the mound in his professional debut. Drafted in 2018, Dana spent the 2018 short season on the 60-day disabled list.

Box Score

By

Greg Stoker

@GDStoker