The Vancouver Canadians held off the Hillsboro Hops 3-1 at Nat Bailey Stadium on Wednesday.
The C’s broke out on top against Hops starter Roman Angelo in the bottom of the third. Estiven Machado lined a single to center field and Jamari Baylor singled to left. They moved up 90 feet on a Jace Bohrofen groundout to first. Two pitches later, Peyton Williams produced a sacrifice fly to left field to bring Machado home.
Vancouver expanded its advantage in the fourth off Angelo. Je’Von Ward smacked a one-out double to left field and came home on a Jeff Wehler base hit up the middle. A Christian Cerda passed ball and a two-out wild pitch by Angelo set up Machado who hit a sharp grounder that Jean Walters could not handle at second when he ranged to his right. Machado was credited with a hit as Wehler came home to make it 3-0 for Monty’s Mounties.
Hillsboro was stymied by Canadians starter Pat Gallagher for the first seven innings but they did get to Chay Yeager in the eighth. Jean Walters singled to center field but was forced out on a 3-6 fielder’s choice by Manny Peña as Williams ranged to his right before making the throw to shortstop Nick Goodwin for the force at second. Yeager plunked Jack Hurley with a pitch (maybe?) on the arm but he was getting aboard anyway as it was a 3-2 pitch. A pair of walks to Gavin Conticello and Cerda would score Peña to draw Hillsboro to within two. Josh Mollerus took over for Yeager and struck out Junior Franco before getting Sim to fly out to left field. Ward had trouble locating the ball in the rain but managed to find it just in time to get the final out, leaving the bases loaded.
Hillsboro would get the tying run on base against Mollerus in the ninth. After Cole Roberts struck out swinging, Juan Corniel walked and Walters flared a single to left field. Mollerus uncorked a wild pitch that advanced the two runners but struck out Peña looking and Hurley swinging to earn the save and preserve the win for Gallagher.
C-Notes
After a 30-minute rain delay, Gallagher gave up a Walters single to right field on the second pitch of the game but picked him off at first base. The former UConn hurler then covered the bag to complete a 4-1 putout on a bang-bang play at first off the bat of Peña for the second out of a scoreless first inning.
Gallagher’s first inning with multiple runners was in the third when Roberts drew a leadoff walk and Walters blooped one to left but Williams forced out Peña by starting a 3-6 fielder’s choice.
More defensive help for Gallagher came in the fourth when Cerda singled to center with one out but Jace Bohrofen made a nice running catch in center field to close in a line drive by Junior Franco. Goodwin followed by making a nice play at short for a 6-3 putout to take care of Kevin Sim.
A leadoff walk in the top of the fifth by Roberts was turned away from Goodwin climbed the ladder to make a leaping catch at short to end the frame.
Gallagher struck out Hurley to open the sixth and stranded a Conticello single at second after a wild pitch.
In the seventh, Gallagher struck out Swim before Roberts singled with one out. The inning ended when Gallagher induced a slick 3-6-3 double play started and finished by Williams with help from Goodwin in between to keep the Hops from scoring.
Marcos De La Rosa was brought into the game to play center field, moving Bohrofen over to right.
Baylor led off the bottom of the first by lining an infield single that went off the right foot of Angelo on the mound. The Hops starter still managed to make a close play of it but Baylor just beat the throw. Angelo was shaken up but was able to continue. Williams drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the first but that was it for the C’s.
Ward legged out a ground ball to short with one out in the second inning. Dylan Rock singled to right but was thrown out as he slipped rounding the first base bag on a 9-6-3 putout to end the rally.
Jackson Hornung had a two-out double to left field in the fifth and Wehler singled to right to start the sixth and Machado drew a walk but in between, Wehler was thrown out on a 2-4 steal attempt. Ward had the last Vancouver hit with a base hit to right with one out in the eighth.
Connor O’Halloran will be on the hill for the Canadians on Thursday and is scheduled to throw the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. Tyler Zickel and Chris Georges will have the call on CanadiansBaseball.com and MiLB.TV.
Radar Gun Rundown
Pat Gallagher was at 77-91 miles per hour with strikeouts of 85 and 78. Chay Yeager checked in at 89-98 and Josh Mollerus was at 83-95 with strikeouts of 92, 86 and 93.
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