Four Homers Not Enough In Spokane Shootout

The Hillsboro Hops closed out the first half of their two-week road trip with another strong offensive performance, but the Spokane Indians had last licks in a back-and-forth Mother’s Day shootout.

Shane Muntz tied the game for the fourth time with an opposite field home run to lead off the ninth inning, but Aiverson Rodriguez hit a two-out line drive off the chest of Hillsboro reliever Connor Grammes that caromed into right field, scoring Juan Guerrero with the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth to give the Indians (16-14) a 9-8 victory and their first series win of the season.

Jesus Valdez hit the first of the Hops’ season-high four home runs to lead off the second inning. He would triple and double in his next two at bats, but failed to pick up another hit in his final two plate appearances. It was the second time in the series that a Hop had two chances at a rare cycle after Wilderd Patino nearly did the trick on Thursday.

Later in the inning, Josh Day hit a two-run shot over the center field fence for his first home run of the season, giving Hillsboro (12-21) a 3-1 lead.

After Hops starting pitcher Eli Saul departed after three innings with a 3-2 lead, Gerald Ogando ran into trouble in the fourth. After a walk and two singles tied the game, the Indians’ speedy nine-hole hitter Braiden Ward pushed a bunt to the left of the mound. Ogando tried to get the lead runner at third base, but threw wide of the mark, sending two more runs home and Ward to third, where he would scamper home on a Yanquiel Fernandez sacrifice fly later in the inning to give the Tribe a 6-3 lead.

Pitching in the fifth with a three-run advantage, Indians starting pitcher Carson Palmquist retired the first two batters and was one out away from qualifying for his third win of the season. But Ivan Melendez and Valdez hit back-to-back doubles and Jacen Roberson, who entered the game in the second inning when S.P. Chen was ejected after a called third strike, followed with a two-run homer to right to tie the game at six.

The score would hold until the seventh, when Ward showcased his elite speed once again. On first base after a leadoff single, the four-time Pac-12 stolen base champion raced all the way to third after Adael Amador hit a fly ball to Patino in deep center. Patino dropped the ball on the transfer to his throwing hand and Ward never hesitated, reaching third base easily on the error. He would score on Braxton Fulford’s single to left to put Spokane up 7-6.

The Hops had an immediate response. Back-to-back singles by Channy Ortiz and Muntz led off the seventh. Two outs later, Roberson and Gary Mattis, Jr. drew back-to-back walks from Juan Mejia to force in the tying run.

Spokane capitalized on a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning when Juan Guerrero scored from third on a two-out Rodriguez single off Zach Barnes to once again put the Tribe in front 8-7.

After Muntz evened the score with his home run off Tyler Ahearn (1-1) in the top of the ninth, Guerrero once again got aboard to start an inning, lining a single to left, the Indians' seventh leadoff baserunner of the contest. Two ground ball outs moved Guerrero to third before Rodriguez hit a laser back up the middle that Grammes had no chance to react to. The ball ricocheted off the right-hander’s chest and still had a lot of pace on it when it landed on the outfield grass as the Indians celebrated a walk-off win.

Rodriguez, only assigned to Spokane from extended spring training on Thursday, finished with three RBI singles. Fulford also added three of the Tribe’s 13 hits, only one of which went for extra bases.

The Hops had their third game of the series with ten hits or more after just two games with ten-plus hits in the previous 27 games. Seven of Hillsboro’s ten hits went for extra bases, also a season high. Melendez saw his four-game home run streak end, although he missed his fifth by just a few feet when he followed Muntz’s ninth-inning homer with a drive that flew just right of the foul pole in right field. Melendez did extend his current hitting streak to eight games.

Four Indians pitchers combined to strike out 15 Hops batters, while walking only four, led by Palmquist’s eight punch-outs. By contrast, Hillsboro pitchers struck out only four Indians and walked five. Spokane right fielder Yanquiel Fernandez saw his five-game streak of multi-hit efforts end, but drove in two runs on sacrifice flies.

After an off day Monday, the Hops travel to Eugene to open a six-game series against the San Francisco Giants’ affiliate Emeralds at P.K. Park. Weeknight games will be at 7:35 p.m. All six games will air live on Rip City Radio 620