The Vancouver Canadians knocked off the Hillsboro Hops 8-1 for the second straight game at Ron Tonkin Field Wednesday.
The game began with both starting pitchers facing the minimum six batters over the first two inning. Hops lefty Avery Short gave up a leadoff single to right field in the second to Gabby Martinez before he was thrown out trying to steal second by catcher and Medicine Hat, Alberta native Gavin Logan. C’s starter Chad Dallas struck out half of the six batters he faced by getting S.P. Chen swinging and Ivan Melendez (on a time clock violation) to end the first before getting Channy Ortiz looking in the second.
Vancouver got the offence rolling when Devonte Brown singled to center and advanced to third on a one-out knock to left by Karl Ellison. A 1-6 fielder’s choice by Alan Roden brought in Brown with the first run of the game.
After Dallas froze Joshua Day and Jacen Roberson with called strike threes to end the bottom of the third, the C’s bats went back to work in the top of the fourth. Rainer Nuñez walked, Martinez singled to center and Alex De Jesus worked the count to ball four to load the bases with nobody out against Short. Nuñez was thrown out at home on a 5-2 fielder’s choice off the bat of Riley Tirotta but Brown delivered a three-run double to left to put the Canadians ahead 4-0.
That chased Short from the game as the Hops went to Peñiel Otaño out of the bullpen. After walking Michael Turconi, Otaño got the next two hitters to end the inning.
Dallas enjoyed a perfect fourth inning by whiffing Wilderd Patiño while Otaño faced only three batters in the top of the fifth when a Nuñez one-out single to right was erased on a 4-3 double play by Martinez.
Hillsboro did get to Dallas for a run in the bottom of the fifth when J.J. D’Orazio singled to right on a 1-2 pitch and moved 180 feet on grounders to second by Ortiz and Logan. Jarrod Watkins drew a two-out walk and stole second, with an Ellison throwing error with the ball getting by Turconi at second and allowing D’Orazio to score. Dallas put an end to the rally by striking out Day swinging.
The Canadians responded with a run in the sixth when De Jesus walked and made it to third on a Tirotta base hit to right. A 6-4 fielder’s choice by Brown got De Jesus home to make it 6-1 C’s. Brown stole second but he would not make it any further.
For the first time this season, a C’s starter pitched into the sixth and Dallas would complete the frame by getting Robertson to strike out looking and Chen to go down swinging to set down the side in order.
Dillon Larsen was the third Hops pitcher of the night and he could not keep Vancouver off the board in the seventh. Roden walked and made it to third after swiping second and advancing on a Logan throwing error. Cade Doughty got a base hit up the middle to drive in Roden. De Jesus drew a walk but Larsen would limit the damage to one run.
C’s reliever Hunter Gregory needed just two pitches a batter to mow down the Hops in the seventh inning. He threw strike one to all three hitters before getting an out on the next pitch.
Larsen surrendered just an Ellison two-out single to left in the top of the eighth. Matt Svanson made his 2023 debut in the bottom of the eighth for the Canadians and struck out Watkins looking in a 1-2-3 eighth.
Monty’s Mounties added two more runs in the ninth against Eric Mendez. Nuñez reached safely on a one-out single to third and was doubled over to right by Martinez. Tirotta loaded the bases with a two-out walk before Brown singled to right to score Nuñez and Martinez with runs seven and eight.
Connor Cooke gave up a two-run double to Chen in the bottom of the ninth but still struck out the side by getting Roberson, Patiño and Melendez swinging to end the game.
C-Notes
The Canadians are now 11-8 on the season, leaving them one half-game behind 13-9 Eugene for first place in the Northwest League.
The Canadians and Hops play the third game of this series on Thursday. Lefthander Adam Macko gets the ball for Vancouver in a 6:35 p.m. start. The game is on CanadiansBaseball.com with Tyler Zickel on the call and on MiLB.TV.
C-Tweets
C's Plus Baseball | A Vancouver Canadians Blog 