The Hillsboro Hops line up for the playing of the National Anthem prior to a game earlier this season. The sky is not falling, but Hillsboro is reeling after six straight losses this past week at Tri-City. (John Lariviere/News Times)

Now, that was a tough week.

After leading the Northwest League for 65 of the season’s first 77 days, the Hops’ first-half title hopes went down this past week – and they went down in flames.

Hillsboro traveled to Pasco with fleeting hopes of earning a spot in the 2025 postseason, and six days later left empty handed and with little more than a six-game losing streak to their name.

With those six defeats, the sputtering Hops are just 7-17 in their last 24 games.

In their six games with Tri-City, Hillsboro hit just .176 with a single home run as a team, and totaled just 33 hits over the series’ six games.

To make things worse, Hops pitching dealt to the tune of a 6.94 ERA and gave up nine round-trippers.

Hillsboro starting pitchers allowed 21 earned runs in 25 innings.

The first three losses to the Dust Devils ended the first half, while the last three put the Hops in an 0-3 hole to start the second half.

Hillsboro will look to turn the tide this week when they host Spokane for six games at Hillsboro Stadium.

Organizational news and notes…Former Oregon State catcher Gavin Logan was promoted from Hillsboro to Triple-A Reno on June 19, and went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI in two games…Former Hop Tristan English hit .367 with three home runs and 11 RBI in six games with Reno…Catcher Christian Cerda went 7-for-16 with two home runs in four games with Double-A Amarillo…Logan Clayton allowed two hits and no runs, while striking out seven in seven innings with Amarillo…Abdias De La Cruz went 10-for-20 in five games with Low-A Visalia this past week…Visalia’s Denny Larrondo pitched six hitless innings while striking out eight in a win last week…Wilkin Paredes allowed five hits in seven shutout innings in a win at Visalia…Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez has seven home runs and 19 RBI in his last 12 games…Former Hop and Oregon Duck Ryne Nelson allowed one hit in 5.2 innings with the DBacks last week.

Below are summaries of last week’s Hops games:

June 17 – Tri-City 3, Hillsboro 2

There will be no first-half championship for the Hops after falling 3-2 to Tri-City on Tuesday.

The Dust Devils broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the ninth inning when Adrian Placencia doubled to right field, ending the game, along with Hillsboro’s hopes of a secured spot in this year’s playoffs.

The Hops took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a Cristofer Torin sacrifice fly, but fell behind 2-1 an inning later when Tri-City plated two on a Randy De Jesus two-run home run to left field.

Hillsboro tied the game in the top of the eighth inning when after singles by Ryan Waldschmidt and Angel Ortiz, Waldschmidt scored on a wild pitch to Druw Jones. But despite two runners on base and just one out, the Hops failed to scratch any more runs across, setting up the Devils’ game-winner in the ninth.

Hillsboro starting pitcher Daniel Nunez pitched five innings, allowing two earned runs on just three hits.

Tri-City starter Chris Cortez was as good, if not better, allowing one earned on four hits, while striking out six over the same five innings.

Both teams tallied six hits in the game, with Angel Ortiz leading the Hops with two knocks, while De Jesus and Matt Coutney had two hits apiece for the Dust Devils.

Hillsboro left 10 men on base in the game and was 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

June 18 – Tri-City 7, Hillsboro 3

The Hops got a little taste of the major leagues on Wednesday night, and I don’t think they liked it.

Tri-City starting pitcher Ryan Johnson–who’s pitched in 14 games for the Los Angeles Angels this season–dominated Hillsboro hitters to the tune of a 7-3 win in the second game of their six-game set.

Johnson allowed just two hits while striking out seven in seven shutout innings.

Despite scoring three runs, all of which came in the ninth inning, the Hops managed just three hits in the game, two of which came off the bat of Anderdson Rojas who finished 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Meanwhile, the Dust Devils scored four runs in the fifth, two more in the sixth, and a final run in the seventh off of a stable of four Hillsboro pitchers.

Hops starter Casey Anderson allowed just three hits in his 4.1 innings of work, but was undone by a two-run Capri Ortiz home run, and later by a Cole Fontenelle RBI-double after handing the ball to reliever Rocco Reid.

Ortiz’ home run was his only hit, but wasn’t Tri-City’s only round-tripper, for Matt Coutney too touched them all with a solo shot in the eighth inning.

David Calabrese led the Devils at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.

June 19–Tri-City 3, Hillsboro 2

Maybe it’s good that it’s over.

The Hops closed the season’s first half with a 3-2 loss to Tri-City on Thursday night.

The Dust Devils broke a 2-2 tie when Cole Fontenell scored on a Daniel Eagen wild pitch in the bottom half of the fourth inning, then let their pitching staff do the remainder of the work in what was their third straight win over the visiting Hops.

Both teams managed just five hits in the game, but Tri-City made the most of theirs with Arol Vera and Matt Coutney homering off of Eagen in the first inning.

The Hops’ runs both came in the third inning when after back-to-back singles by Kevin Sim and Jean Walters, Ryan Waldschmidt doubled to center field to plate them both.

But beyond that it was all about the pitching, with four Devils pitchers allowing just five hits while striking out 12 and walking one.

Eagen allowed only three hits and struck out nine in his four innings, but was undone by the two solo shots in the opening inning.

The righthander was spelled by Nate Savino, and later Carlos Rey and Sam Knowlton who threw four shutout innings.

In all, Hillsboro pitchers struck out 15 while walking just two.

Vera and Coutney had four of Tri-City’s five hits.

June 20–Tri-City 5, Hillsboro 4

New half, more of the same for Hillsboro.

After sputtering to a finish to the season’s first half, the Hops started the second stanza the same way they ended the first – with a loss.

Hillsboro starting pitcher John West allowed five first-inning runs, and while close, the Hops couldn’t quite close the gap in a 5-4 loss to Tri-City on Friday night.

The loss was the fourth straight to the Dust Devils, three of which have come by a single run.

West walked the game’s opening batter, then allowed three consecutive singles on the way to Tri-City’s four first-inning runs.

Hillsboro worked their way back with a run in the fourth inning, two in the fifth and another in the eighth, and appeared poised to tie or take the lead in that eighth when they had the bases loaded with no outs. But a line drive double play followed by a ground out ended that threat, and ultimately the Hops’ comeback opportunity when they went down quietly in the ninth.

Slade Caldwell and Ben McLaughlin had two hits apiece for Hillsboro, while Cristofer Torin his his first home run of the season in the fourth inning.

West settled down after the shaky first inning and pitched 6.1 innings, allowing five runs on five hits while striking out seven.

Tri-City starter Austin Gordon got the win, allowing three earned runs on five hits over six innings of work.

June 21 – Tri-City 14, Hillsboro 5

At least it wasn’t close.

After consecutive one-run losses and three in their last four games, the Hops made defeat look easy on Saturday, falling to Tri-City 14-5 at Gesa Stadium.

Hillsboro took a five run lead early on Saturday, getting a run in the first inning on a Cristofer Torin RBI-single, another in the second on a Kenny Castillo sacrifice fly, and three more in the top of the third on a Druw Jones two-RBI single coupled with a Anderdson Rojas RBI-double. But that would be hit for the Hops who would then watch the home Devils answer with three of their own in the bottom half of the third, five runs in the fifth, and six more in the seventh en route to their blowout win.

Tri-City first baseman Ryan Nicholson homered as part of a three-hit, three-RBI and three-runs-scored performance, and was one of four Devils who carded multiple hits, and nine who notched hits overall.

Jones led Hillsboro going 2-for-3 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored.

The Hops used five pitchers in the game, with all but one allowing two runs or more in less than three innings pitched.

The only Hillsboro pitcher not to allow a run was second baseman Jean Walters who pitched the eighth inning and allowed no hits while striking out two of his three batters faced.

June 22 – Tri-City 5, Hillsboro 2

On the heels of five consecutive losses, the Hops decided to make it six in the finale of their six-game series in Pasco, losing to Tri-City 5-2 on Sunday night.

Matt Coutney’s three-run home run highlighted a five-run third inning that would turn out to be all the home Dust Devils would need as they cruised to a rare six-game sweep over Hillsboro.

Hops starting pitcher Lorenzo Encarnacion continued to struggle in just his third start for the Hops since being called up from Low-A Visalia, allowing five earned runs in 2.2 innings of work.

To the contrary, Tri-City starter Chris Cortez allowed one earned run on only two hits in 5 innings,earning the win.

Hillsboro’s runs came in the fourth and seventh innings, the last of which as the result of a David Martin RBI-single.

Martin finished 2-for-2.

No Dust Devil tallied multiple hits.