The Eugene Emeralds went 0 for 15 with runners in scoring position in two losses to the Hillsboro Hops on Friday and Saturday. They committed unforced errors and scored just one combined run in the losses.
Saturday’s loss tied the Emeralds and Hops atop the second-half Northwest League South standings. Emeralds manager Gary Van Tol stressed the importance of leaving the series in sole possession of first place.
His team did too. The Emeralds’ offense exploded for thirteen hits in a 10-4 victory Sunday night at PK Park.
“It was a good bounce back win after losing the first two,” Van Tol said.
Early in Sunday’s contest, the narrative appeared to be headed in the direction of the previous two games.
Hops two-hitter Luis Veras doubled and advanced Sergio Alcantara to third base in the top of the third. What should’ve been a routine throw from Emeralds right fielder Alex Bautista to second turned into an error, allowing Alcantara to score. Soon after, a sacrifice fly gave the Hops another 2-0 lead.
The Emeralds responded immediately. With runners on second and third, Donnie Dewees singled on an ground ball to second base for an RBI. PJ Higgins followed with an RBI-single of his own and tied the game 2-2. The next batter, Eloy Jimenez, reached first on a fielder’s choice, allowing Dewees to score from third on a throwing error from second baseman Galli Cribbs. Just like that, the Emeralds held their first lead of the series.
Three more runs on a pair of sacrifice flies and an Ian Rice solo home run in the bottom of the fifth gave the Emeralds a comfortable 6-2 lead.
The Hops nearly spoiled the Emeralds’ last home game in the top of the seventh. Greyfer Eregua replaced starting pitcher Carson Sands, and struggled mightily. Two singles followed by a walk quickly loaded the bases for the Hops with no outs. Eregua struck out the next batter, then walked Alcantara, cutting the margin to 6-3.
Sensing a shift in momentum, Van Tol pulled Eregua in favor of Tyler Peitzmeier. Veras grounded out to first on the next at bat, but not before Nate Irving scored from third. Then, Higgins made arguably the most unorthodox play of the game.
Grant Heyman lined a Peitzmeier pitch towards Higgins at second that he appeared to catch, but the ball dropped out of his glove. Higgins quickly recovered the ball off the turf and flipped it to Blake Headley at first to halt the Hops’ comeback.
“Higgins played unbelievable defense,” Van Tol said. “Knocked down that line drive that would’ve scored two to tie the ball game. He stayed on it and got the out at first. Defensively, we stepped up when we needed to.”
The Emeralds notched four more runs in the bottom of the inning to put the game out of reach.
Sunday’s victory moved the Emeralds into first place, a game ahead of Hillsboro with six games remaining. Unlike the first half of the season, the Emeralds have fared much better on the road than at home in the second half.
“The first half, we had the worst road record and the best home record,” Van Tol said. “That was one of the things we talked about at the midway point: ‘We need to go on the road and compete if we’re gonna have a chance.’ These guys have responded.”
The Emeralds’ 10-4 away record should give them plenty of optimism going into a road stint with stops at Salem-Keizer and Hillsboro.
“These guys are playing with a lot of confidence,” Van Tol said. “We’re going into Salem where we just took two out of three from them last week, and we won the series in Hillsboro in the first half. We’ve won in both parks… It’s gonna go down to the wire. We’ll regroup and get ready for the road.”
Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner