The Vancouver Canadians won a nail-biter over the Hillsboro Hops Saturday night, 3-2. The game went down to the last pitch when the Hops Justin Chigbogu struck out swinging for the fences with no one on board.

The game had three personalities from beginning to end. First, the Canadians scored their three runs in the first two innings. Then, the Hops scored their 2 runs of the night over the third and fourth innings. From then onward, both teams settled down to a pitcher’s duel, blanking the scoreboard the rest of the night.

Vancouver’s first offensive explosion brought two runs in, starting off with Cavan Biggio walking with two outs. JB Woodman punched a line drive to left that moved Biggio to second. Biggio came home on a Christian Williams infield single to short and a throwing error by Hops shortstop Manny Jefferson. Juan Tejado brought Woodman home for the second score of the inning when he lined a single to center field. Vancouver up 2-0.

The next inning brought the Canadians’ Javier Hernandez to the plate where he punched another line drive single to left for Vancouver. Rodrigo Orozco lined a single to right field putting runners at the corners. Hernandez came home on a sacrifice fly to center by Yeltsin Gudino. Vancouver increased their lead to 3-0. The Canadians were done scoring for the night but it was enough to hold off the Hops.

Nic Coffman led off the third for the Hops, cracking a double to right and moved to third on a wild pitch by Vancouver’s Patrick Murphy. Coffman came home on Manny Jefferson’s line drive to left. Hops narrowed the gap to 3-1.

The following inning, Luke Lowery led off the inning with another Hops’ double to right field in a Deja Vu moment from the previous inning. Lowery scooted to third when given the opportunity by Justin Chigbogu’s ground out to short. Alexis Olmeda brought Lowery home with his sacrifice fly to right. The Hops closed to within one run but that was the end of the scoring for anyone for the rest of the night. Five and a half innings later, Vancouver’s Jackson Lowery took the mound in relief, ending the game on Justin Chigbogu’s strikeout.  Final score: 3-2, Vancouver.

There were only 3 doubles on the night and nothing stronger as both teams played a version of small ball. The night was full of controlled pitching and keeping the ball low with defenders well positioned on the field. Several times throughout the night, the Hops would smack a hard grounder or punch a hard line drive only to find a Canadian there on the field waiting for it.

Nic Coffman led the Hops going 2 for 3 with a double and scoring a run. Manny Jefferson went 1 for 3, knocking one of the two Hillsboro Hops runs across the plate.

Juan Tejada was one of several Canadians with a hot bat tonight going 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Rodrigo Orozco, Christian Williams and Javier Hernandez all went 2 for 4.

For the Hops, Taylor Wright (0-2) started for the Hops. Wright went five innings, allowed 3 runs on 9 hits for the loss. Riley Smith, Kirby Bellow and Nick Blackburn went one inning each to blank the Canadians for the rest of the game on three hits.

For the Canadians, Patrick Murphy (1-1) went 6 innings, allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and struck out 5 for the win. Evan Smith, Jackson McLelland and Jackson Lowry kept the Hops scoreless the rest of the way. Lowry (S,3) pitched the ninth, earning the save.

The Hillsboro Hops (3-6) dropped one game further back to three games behind the South Division leading Eugene Emeralds. The Vancouver Canadians (5-4) remain one game out of the North Division of the Northwest League, behind Everett.

Both teams will meet at Nat Bailey Stadium for the fourth game of the five game series Sunday afternoon at 1:05pm. Vancouver leads 2-1.

Boxscore

by Greg Stoker
@GDStoker