Hillsboro’s Record Hardly Does The Hops Justice

The Hillsboro Hops’ 3-8 2013 record suggests that the newly relocated team has gotten off to a less-than-sluggish start. The Hops lost their first three games of the season, but made a powerful statement with a 12-0 victory to christen the new Hillsboro Stadium and a 2-1 win over Eugene two days later to take a 2-1 series victory in their home debut.

The Hops have hardly had it easy in the early going, with 13 of their first 16 games scheduled on the road. Thanks to a pair of rainouts, the squad has been tested with two doubleheaders so far in the young season. Hillsboro salvaged the back end of a twin bill against Everett with a 7-1 win on June 22, but the victory did little more than interrupt four losses to the Aquasox in as many days.

While the results have yet to impress, the Hops could very easily be 8-3. With a closer look at some of their games, it is clear that the squad has consistently flirted with victory only to lose in dramatic fashion more often than not:

• June 14: Down 3-0, the Hops scored one in the eighth and one in the ninth, and left the game-tying run on first to lose 3-2.
• June 16: Down 7-0, Hillsboro scored four in the sixth, two in the seventh and put the tying run on second in the eighth before eventually falling 7-6.
• June 21: Up 4-0, Everett scored three in the eighth and one in the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Hillsboro took the lead with a run in the 11th before collapsing yet again by allowing two in the bottom of the inning and losing 6-5.
• June 22: In a seven-inning game, the Hops were down 3-0 heading into the final frame. Hillsboro scored once but left two runners on base when the final out was recorded to fall 3-1 at the hands of the Aquasox.
• June 23: Leading Everett 5-0, the Hops gave up four in the fifth, one in the eighth and another in the ninth to give away another game to the Aquasox.
• June 24: Hillsboro found itself down 3-2 through six innings. The Hops put two runners on in the eighth and one more reached in the ninth, but none would score as Everett won for the fourth time in a four game stretch.

Overall, seven of the Hops’ eight losses have been decided by two runs or less. The Hops have won big twice (by six or more runs), and Hillsboro has outscored opponents 46-40 so far in 2013. These figures suggest that Hillsboro is every bit as competitive as the other seven teams, and has simply not found ways to win close ball games.

The players are undoubtedly frustrated with having victory snatched from their fingertips with such alarming consistency, and the 2013 season has been a mental test more than anything else for the youthful roster. There is pressure for the Hops to respond to the adversity and nothing displays that more than ‘Hillsboro’ at the bottom of the league standings. This being said, the numbers will not lie over time and if the Hops continue to play the game the right way and outscore opponents, it is only a matter of time before they catch the late inning breaks and pull-off dramatic come-from-behind wins of their own. Clearly, lady luck is due to make an appearance on Hillsboro’s schedule in the very near future.