The Hillsboro Hops' 2026 season is over in all but name.

A 7-5 loss to the Eugene Emeralds on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at PK Park in Eugene dropped the Hops six games behind Vancouver with five games left, according to the Hillsboro News Times. Vancouver's 3-1 win at Tri-City the same night sealed it. Hillsboro cannot catch the Canadians for the Northwest League's second-half playoff berth.

It marks the sixth consecutive year the Hops have missed the postseason. The franchise made the playoffs a league-record six straight seasons from 2014 to 2019, per MiLB.com. The drought now matches the dynasty.

The elimination turned on one play. In the bottom of the eighth, with Eugene leading 3-2, two on and two out, Jose Ortiz lifted a fly ball to right fielder Abdias De La Cruz. De La Cruz trotted in and toward the line. The ball hit his glove and popped out. Two runs scored. Three pitches later, Jhonny Level homered to plate two more, blowing the game open at 7-2.

The four-run eighth buried reliever Kyle Ayers, who took the loss despite allowing just one earned run on four hits over five innings. Starter Patrick Forbes lasted three innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits while striking out five.

Eugene lefthander Henry Lalane shut down the Hops over five scoreless innings, allowing three hits. The 6-foot-7 lefty, acquired by the San Francisco Giants organization from the Yankees in an Aug. 3 deadline deal, has allowed one run on seven hits over 11 innings in two starts against Hillsboro this season.

Jakey Josepha led Hillsboro's offense with three hits and two RBI. Modeifi Marte and Yassel Soler each added two hits. All 10 of the Hops' hits were singles.

Hillsboro rallied for three runs in the ninth on four singles, but the comeback fell short when Kayson Cunningham struck out looking with the tying run at the plate.

The loss caps a season of near-misses. A seven-game winning streak in early August pulled the Hops from eight games out to three. They won five of six against Tri-City the week of Aug. 25, taking seven of their last eight entering the Eugene series. None of it was enough.

The elimination also lands in the inaugural season at the Hops' new ballpark, which opened April 7. The Hops play Thursday, Sept. 3, at PK Park in Eugene at 6:35 p.m., then return home for the final three games of the year: Friday, Sept. 4, at 6:35 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 5, at 5:03 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 6, at 1:05 p.m., all against Eugene.