The Hops simply can’t be beat.

That’s not entirely true, but despite dropping two of the first three games of their six-game set with Everett this past week, Hillsboro won two of the series’ last three games to earn a split and stay undefeated this season from a series perspective.

The split was the second straight for the Hops (26-19) who have won three series this season, while splitting their other five.

Hillsboro remains in first place in the Northwest League, three games clear of both Spokane and Eugene.

The series with Everett was defined by pitching, with both teams scoring less than 3.5 runs per game.

Hops batters hit at a .243 clip, while the AquaSox batted just .196 over the week’s six games.

Hillsboro’s Junior Franco hit .538 in four games against the Sox, while Ryan Waldschmidt led the way in six appearances, going 9-for-22 with three doubles and three RBI.

Franco hit the Hops’ only home run of the week and power continues to be a limited resource, with the team having hit only 23 roundtrippers on the season, ranking them last in the league by a considerable margin.

Starting pitchers, Daniel Eagen, Daniel Nunez and John West all impressed in their outings against Everett, with none allowing more than a single earned run, while combining to allow three earned runs on 11 hits, to go with 20 strikeouts and two walks in 18 innings of work.

Additionally, relievers Hayden Durke and Edgar Isea combined for 4.1 innings in four appearances, allowing no hits and no runs while striking out seven.

The Hops are now out of town for two week, traveling to Vancouver for six games this week, while playing at Spokane the following week before returning to host Eugene starting June 10.

Organizational news and notes…Former Hop and Oregon Duck pitcher Ryne Nelson allowed one earned run on just three hits in five innings pitched with the Diamondbacks against the Dodgers last week. Nelson has a 2.45 ERA over the last 30 days with Arizona…Catcher Aramis Garcia hit .353 with three home runs and six RBI in four games with Triple-A Reno…LuJames Groover had nine hits in six games last week with Double-A Amarillo…Roman Angelo started two games in Amarillo last week, allowing three earned runs on four hits while striking out 15 in 11 innings…Outfielder Slade Caldwell was 7-for-14 with a home run and three RBI in Low-A Visalia las week…Lorenzo Encarnacion has a 3.49 ERA with 44 strikeouts and just 13 walks in eight starts in Visalia this season.

Northwest League Standings
Hillsboro	26-19
Eugene	23-22
Spokane	23-22
Tri-City	22-22
Everett	21-13
Vancouver	19-26

 

Last week’s results:
Hillsboro 7, Everett 2
Everett 9, Hillsboro 3
Everett 3, Hillsboro 0
Hillsboro 4, Everett 1
Everett 3, Hillsboro 2
Hillsboro 5, Everett 4