Relief pitcher Carlos Rey (23) of the Hillsboro Hops takes the mound during a game earlier this season. Rey allowed three runs in relief in a loss to Eugene on June 11. (John Lariviere/News Times)

Hillsboro has been atop the Northwest League standings since day-3 of the 2025 season, but that stay is over as the Hops fell for the second straight time to Eugene, 7-2, on Wednesday night, June 11, at Hillsboro Ballpark.

The loss was the fourth straight overall for the Hops who now sit a game behind both Vancouver and Everett with eight games remaining in the season’s first half.

Despite eight hits, Hillsboro managed just the two runs, only one of which came off of Eugene starting pitcher Shane Rademacher who gave up just six hits while striking out four and walking none in seven innings.

Hops starter Casey Anderson too was good, allowing two earned runs on just five hits in 6.2 innings of work. But Hillsboro was again done-in by their bullpen which allowed three runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth.

The game was tied 1-1 before Cole Foster gave the Ems a 2-1 lead with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Charlie Szykowny, and Eugene put things away in the eighth when Luke Shliger cleared the bases with double to right that scored Szykowny, Bo Davidson and James Tibbs III.

Hillsboro got a run in the bottom of the night on a Jean Walters RBI-single, but couldn’t manage nothing else.

Tibbs III and Szykowny had two hits apiece for the Ems, while Ryan Waldschmidt led the Hops, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Hillsboro hosts Eugene again at 6:35 p.m. tonight at Hillsboro Stadium.