C’s Struggle Continue

The Canadians scored six unanswered runs to erase a first inning deficit and earn a rain-shortened 7-2 win in seven innings over the Hillsboro Hops (AZ) Thursday night at Hops Ballpark.

Trailing 2-1 after one, the C’s used a Manny Beltre double and two walks to load the bases in the second inning before Tucker Toman legged out a game-tying fielder’s choice to even the score at two.

The game was tied until the fifth. With the bases loaded and no outs, Alex Stone lined a two-run double into the gap in right centre before a Beltre sacrifice fly completed the three-run frame to put the C’s up 5-2.

A two-run seventh put the game away. Maddox Latta doubled then scored on a single by Stone that included a throwing error from the Hillsboro right fielder. 

Stone would arrive at the plate later in the inning when JR Freethy singled him in to make it 7-2.

Starter Dylan Watts (W, 1-0) looked much better tonight than in his C’s debut last week. The right-hander limited the Hops to two runs on two hits – both over his first nine batters faced – with five walks and no strikeouts to lead Vancouver to victory. 

Carson Myers (S, 3) was one batter over the minimum in his two innings of scoreless relief before the game was called due to rain after the seventh inning.

——————————————————————————————————–

The Canadians dropped their third of four games with the Hillsboro Hops (AZ) this week, a 7-4 defeat Friday night at Hops Ballpark.

A run in the first gave the C’s an early lead. Sam Shaw led off with a walk, Peyton Williams blooped a double the opposite way to move Shaw to third and Eric Snow’s sacrficie fly made it 1-0.

Starter Holden Wilkerson (L, 4-6) was perfect for this first three innings before giving up a lead-off homer in the fourth, the first of three runs on three hits that would score in that frame. 

The righty would surrender another two in the sixth. His final line: 5.2 IP (his longest outing of the year), 5 hits, 2 walks, 3 Ks.

Vancouver had no answer for Hops starter Brian Curley (W, 4-3), who faced two batters over the minimum from the second through the sixth before passing the baton to the bullpen. 

The Canadians were held scoreless in the seventh then rallied for three runs in the eighth, highlighted by an RBI double from Williams and a run-scoring groundout authored by Snow.

Hillsboro plated runs in the seventh and eighth to stay ahead by multiple scores and go on to win 7-4.

———————————————————————————————————-

A six-run third inning did the Canadians in Saturday night in a 7-4 loss to the Hillsboro Hops (AZ) at Hops Ballpark.

After the Hops used a two-strike, two-out RBI single in the first to go up 1-0, they sent all nine men to the plate in the third. 

When the dust settled, Hillsboro had plated six runs on four hits – all with two outs – that included a three-run homer from #29 D-Backs prospect Avery Owusu-Asiedu to lead 7-0.

Vancouver spoiled the shutout in the fourth. #18 Blue Jays prospect Edward Duran clobbered his first homer of the year on the first pitch of the frame then the offense added three more in the sixth. A one-out error and two walks loaded the bases for Jacob Sharp. 

The catcher stroked a bases-clearing double into the left field corner that brought the C’s within three. A JR Freethy single and a Mathieu Vallee walk followed to load the bases and bring the potential go-ahead run to the plate, but a pitching change and consecutive outs followed to end the rally.

Reliever Gilberto Batista – who surrendered four of the six runs in the third – put up zeroes from the fourth through the eighth to allow the offense a chance to mount a comeback. 

After the three-run sixth, however, only one more runner reached base over the final three frames and the C’s fell 7-4.

With the loss, Vancouver is now 3-5 in the second half.