By: Jacob Archer
HILLSBORO, OR — The Emeralds dropped the series opener against the Hillsboro Hops by a final score of 4-1. It was a tough loss for the Emeralds as they held a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game. It was a 4-run 8th inning for the Hops that proved to be more than enough in tonight’s loss.
The Ems were able to strike 1st in tonight’s game in the top of the 2nd inning. Justin Wishkoski got the 1st hit of the game with a 1-out single. The next batter, Zach Morgan, ripped a double to put Wishkoski on 3rd with just 1-out. Tanner O’Tremba got jammed on a pitch inside but he was able to muscle it out of the infield and over the Hops 2nd baseman Manuel Pena’s head for the 1st run of the game. It was the lone run of the night for Eugene.
Nick Sinacola was fantastic in tonight’s game. He came into today’s matchup with the most wins this season for any Emeralds pitcher with 4. He pitched 5 innings and allowed just 4 hits while not surrendering a single run. He only struck out 2 batters but most impressively he didn’t allow a single walk. The Emeralds as a pitching staff only allowed 2 walks in tonight’s game. Sinacola was in line for a Northwest League leading 5th victory but the 8th inning cost him a chance at that.
Things were quiet for the Hops for the majority of the game. In the top of the 6th against Matt Mikulski they were able to get runners on at 2nd and 3rd with nobody out but Mikulski was able to work his way out of that jam with 3 straight pop outs. Mikulski also pitched a hitless 7th inning.
It was the 8th inning where things got away from the Emeralds. Kyle Cody came in for relief of Mikulski and the first 4 base runners reached. Kevin Sim delivered the game tying RBI-Single with nobody out. Christian Cerda hit into a fielder’s choice but it was enough to give the Hops the lead. Jack Hurley hit an RBI-Single and Cerda stole home on a double-steal to give the Hops their 4th and final run of the night.
It was a tough break for Eugene who had played a great game for the majority of the game. The Hops were able to cash in on some early base runners and it proved to be enough as they took game 1 of this 6 game series. The Ems will look to bounce back tomorrow night with Hayden Wynja on the mound. First pitch is set for 6:35 P.M.
The Eugene Emeralds are the High-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants. The Eugene Emeralds are dedicated to providing the best in family entertainment and creating a fun, safe environment for everyone to enjoy watching a baseball game. For more information, please visit our website at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or call the Emeralds front office at 541-342-5367. • Emeraldsbaseball.com • Facebook.com/EugeneEmeraldsfanpage • Twitter.com/EugeneEmeralds
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