A few days ago, we sang the praises of the Hillsboro Hops after their defeat of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, advancing to face the Tri-City Dust Devils for the Northwest League championship title. Those songs have now reached their collective crescendo, ending on the highest note possible.
The Hops emerged victorious in Game 1, shocking precisely nobody who’s been following the team. The 2-1 win wasn’t exactly a pitching duel, as neither Hillsboro starter Brett Shankin nor Tri-City hurler Adrian De Horta recorded more than five strikeouts apiece. Shankin did throw seven strong innings, allowing just the one run when Dust Devils centerfielder Rod Boykin came around on a single by shortstop Peter Van Gansen in the fifth inning.
Earlier on, in the second inning, Hops left fielder Luis Veras hit a triple before scoring on a single by catcher Alexis Olmeda. The score remained knotted up until the bottom of the eighth inning, when Veras knocked shortstop Dansby Swanson in on a single. That tenuous lead would hold through the next half-inning, and the Hops were just one win away from emerging triumphant.
They would have to wait a little longer for that shot at glory, as the Dust Devils ground out a tough 4-2 win in Game 2. The only two runs scored by the Hops came in the top of the first inning, as right fielder Grant Heyman doubled Swanson home before coming around himself on another Olmeda single. Those runs ultimately wouldn’t be enough to stave off the advances of Tri-City’s offense, as they scored four times throughout the course of the game. With victory snatched away from the Hops’ grasp, it all came down to the third and deciding game. Could it really have gone any other way?
Not to contradict the great Yogi Berra, but sometimes, it’s over long before it’s over. This was the case in Game 3, which the Hops took handily 6-1. Most of the damage came in the second inning: Veras, Olmeda, designated hitter Josh Anderson and third baseman Nate Robertson all scored on doubles by the latter two and a single from second baseman Sergio Alcantara. It appeared that the Dust Devils were threatening to rally when Dust Devils third baseman Carlos Belen hit a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the frame.
After that, though, Hops starter Carlos Hernandez showed the dazzling command that made him one of the league’s top pitchers this season, striking out 7 Dust Devils in 5 2/3 innings. He only allowed one hit other than Belen’s homer. Although Tri-City wouldn’t score again in the contest, Hillsboro wasn’t taking any chances. In the top of the ninth inning, they scored twice more – Alcantara’s single knocked in Olmeda, while Anderson came around on a wild pitch by reliever Samuel Holland.
For the second consecutive year, the Hillsboro Hops reign supreme over the Northwest League. This is a feat made even more impressive considering that the Hops have only been in Hillsboro for three years, having previously been known as the Yakima Bears. When they relocated before the 2013 season, the franchise hadn’t seen a championship since the turn of the millennium. Now, they’ve got two in a row. Congratulations to all the tremendously talented young athletes who defended their title; chances are good you’ll be seeing some of them at a major league stadium soon enough.
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