The Eugene Emeralds completed a six-game sweep of the Hillsboro Hops on Sunday, winning 7-5 at PK Park. The Emeralds and Hops played Home Run Derby, combining for six taters on the evening. It was Brandon Martorano’s three-run blast in the seventh that made the difference, sending the Emeralds out to a lead that they never looked back from.
Eugene right-hander Conner Nurse worked around two walks to pitch a scoreless, albeit laborious, first inning. The first batter in the second then crushed a ball over the shed in right field. Right fielder Tyler Flores didn’t even bother moving as the Hops took an early 1-0 lead.
Franklin Labour responded with a tank of his own in the second, blasting one over the scoreboard in left-center to tie the game at one apiece.
Nurse surrendered another leadoff homer in the fourth, this one hitting the scoreboard directly as the Hops went back in front, 2-1. He walked the next batter, and ended up allowing the runner to score on a two-out single that made it 3-1.
Armani Smith joined the home run party in the fourth, knocking the fourth solo shot of the game out of the park and cutting the Hops’ lead in half. It was his first homer as an Emerald.
Nurse wound up turning in his second consecutive solid start. He pitched five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five.
In the seventh, the Emeralds faced lanky left-hander Nick Snyder, who has collected a heap of strikeouts and walks this season. His style of pitching was on full display, as he walked the first two batters and struck out the next two.
But with two on and two outs, Martorano cranked one to right-center, hitting it over the banner between the scoreboard and the shed. With the flip of a switch, the Emeralds led 5-3. Will Wilson followed that up with the team’s second consecutive homer, rubbing salt in Snyder’s wound and making it 6-3.
After another walk, Snyder exited the game to the tune of a roaring PK Park crowd.
The Hops got one back in the eighth against Solomon Bates, who gave up a leadoff double and allowed the runner to score on a wild pitch that made it 6-4.
The Emeralds responded with a run of their own to bring the lead back to three. In the bottom of the seventh, Heath Quinn came through with a clutch two-out RBI single.
Chris Wright entered to pitch the ninth inning for the Emeralds, coming in with his video game strikeout numbers (36 in 15 2/3 innings between the Emeralds and San Jose Giants). He walked the first batter, and a wild pitch and a single brought in a run. But Wright was unphased, recording two more strikeouts to shut the door on the 7-5 victory and the six-game sweep.
Wright has now struck out 21 batters in just 8 2/3 innings pitched as an Emerald.
With the Everett AquaSox losing, the Emeralds (26-15) now have a 1.5-game lead for first place in the High-A West. They’ll begin their second consecutive home series on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canadians at 7:05 p.m.
