Tristin English Belted 2 Homers, Hops Launch Over Canadians 9-6
Tristin English belted his first homer of the game for a 7-5 lead that the Hillsboro Hops never surrendered. The Hops belted four homers overall in the game and defeated the Vancouver Canadians 9-6.
The Hops Personal Home Run Derby
In the next inning, Blaze Alexander smashed a deep one out of the park, over the grass covered berm and into a softball field across the narrow parking lot. It was estimated around 450 feet. To my knowledge, no one has ever crossed the berm, even on a bounce.
Tristin English belted Two Homers
Following Alexander, Tristin English belted his second homer to the deepest part of the outfield and easily cleared the ten-foot chain-link fence. His first homer, in the previous inning, cleared the fence about ten feet to the left, bounced off the scoreboard and back onto the field. Unlike the movies, there were no showers of sparks covering left center.
It was actually Jorge Barrosa who started it all. His homer came in the first to lead-off the inning. It would be his only hit of the night but it opened the door for his team to have a field day. Besides, as always, Jorge made some great hustle plays in center field like he always does.

Vancouver Tried to Keep Up
Vancouver had a couple of home runs of their own. Will Robertson followed Orelvis Martinez’ lead-off double with a two-run shot in the second inning. It tied the game at 2-2. Spencer Horwitz blasted a solo shot in the fifth, but the Canadians were still three runs behind. The only time a run scored in an inning without the benefit of a home run was the second. There, Rafael Lantigua and Tanner Morris teamed up for back to back doubles.
These two teams have been belting it out of the park. In the last seven games, they have combined for twenty home runs total.
Hops starting pitcher Justin Vernia (W, 3-5) took advantage of the runs scored by his teammates. He was able to weather the storm of the Canadians bats with the home runs and doubles offered as support. By the time the game reached the end of the fourth inning, Vernia already had nine runs to cover the score.
The Canadians starting pitcher, Alex Nolan (L, 0-5) left after the fourth, chased by those same nine runs. Willy Gaston and Thomas Ruwe took the mound for the rest of the game, blanking the Hops. But a four run deficit was too much for the Canadians to recoup. The lone run scored after that point was Spencer Horwitz’s solo shot in the fifth.
The Hops Vernia successfully lasted through the sixth inning on 98 pitches. Liu Fuenmayor (H, 2) and Yaramil Hiraldo (S, 8) kept the lid on the plate to the end.

Standings
The win brought the Hillsboro Hops (45-55, 5th place) closer to the Vancouver Canadians (46-55, 4th place) and one half game now separates them. The Hops lead their series 3-2.
Tri City won their game and remained three and a half games behind Hillsboro. They have a six game winning streak, mostly against the league leading Everett. With both Everett and Eugene recently sliding and losing tonight, the top three teams are getting closer and closer. In other words, Eugene is only a half game behind Everett. Further, Spokane is another half game behind Eugene. Only the top two teams make the playoffs.
Consequently, Hillsboro and Vancouver play their sixth and final game of the series Sunday at 1:05 PM. However, the Hops have a chance for a 4-2 series win Sunday. But, the Canadians are shooting for a 3-3 series split. Therefore, if you can’t make the ballpark, you can watch the game on MiLB.tv, listen on 620 AM radio or follow me on Twitter for half inning updates. In short, you will find my Twitter handle below.
Box Score
Byis
Greg Stoker
@GDStoker
Week 17: another split, this time Hillsboro Hops and Vancouver Canadians
August 31, 2021 @ 1:45 am
[…] Week 17 Game#5 Hops win 9-6 […]
Second inning proves too much to overcome for Hops, Canadians score 6.
August 30, 2021 @ 1:12 am
[…] be a pitcher’s duel or a slugfest. Up until this point, slugfests were more common. Such as last night’s slugfest where the Hops won 9-6. So, it was not a surprise that this one started off in the same […]