The Hillsboro Hops rode three home runs to a 10-2 rout of Vancouver on Sunday, July 26, earning a series split and snapping a stretch in which the club had lost 16 of 18 games.

After dropping the first two games of the six-game set at Hops Ballpark, Hillsboro won three of the last four to salvage the split. It marked the Hops' first non-losing series since they took four of six from these same Canadians in late June.

The offense came alive behind three names in particular.

Shortstop Kayson Cunningham, the Diamondbacks' 2025 first-round pick (18th overall), went 9-for-22 (.409) with a home run and six RBI across the series. Jose Mejia led the club with nine RBI and two homers. Avery Owusu-Asiedu hit .381 with two home runs and seven RBI of his own.

Bullpen dominance

The starters struggled. All six allowed at least two earned runs, and five lasted fewer than five innings. The relief corps carried the pitching staff instead.

Alexis Liebano, Mason Marriott, Teofilo Mendez, and Rocco Reid combined for nine scoreless innings, striking out 11 and walking just two. Liebano and Marriott were especially dominant, allowing zero hits while fanning seven and walking one across 4.2 combined innings.

Standings and schedule

The split improved Hillsboro's second-half record to 11-19, still last place in the Northwest League. The Hops sit six games behind co-leaders Everett and Spokane.

That deficit makes the next series the biggest stretch of the second half. Hillsboro hosts first-place Everett for six straight games beginning Tuesday, July 28, at Hops Ballpark. For context, Everett batted .336 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI in a three-game set against Spokane the week of July 14, according to a prior Hillsboro News-Times recap.

Six games against the league's hottest offense will show whether the Vancouver turnaround was a blip or a genuine reset.

All games can be heard on Rip City Radio 620 AM or streamed on the Bally Sports Live app.