Hernandez’s grand slam lifts Hops over AquaSox 9-4

EVERETT — Ramon Hernandez proved too much for the Everett AquaSox Thursday night.

Hernandez homered twice, one of them a grand slam, and added an RBI double as the Hillsboro Hops topped the AquaSox 9-4 before 3,375 fans at Everett Memorial Stadium.

The Frogs (5-2 second half, 23-22 overall) maintained their one-game cushion over Spokane and Vancouver in the North Division second-half standings.

Seattle Mariners shortstop Ketel Marte, making his first of three rehab starts with the AquaSox, was 1-for-4 with a double in his return Everett Memorial Stadium. He also grounded into a double play.

Everett pitcher Reggie McClain (0-3) struggled for the first time in a start since late June as he surrendered five runs on five hits in three innings. He fanned five and walked one, but was done in by Hernandez’s two home runs.

Hernandez’s second home run of the game pushed Hillsboro’s lead from 1-0 to 5-0 in the top of the third. McClain appeared to be on the verge of working on a bases-loaded, one-out situation, but Hernandez drove the ball over the wall in left-center.

Hernandez had put the Hops on the board when he belted a hanging curve well over the fence in left field for a 1-0 lead.

Trailing 5-0, the Frogs got one back in the bottom of the third when Eric Filia’s groundout scored Austin Grebeck, but Hillsboro answered in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single by Josh Anderson.

Yojhan Quevedo drove in Bryson Brigman to make it 6-2, but Marte bounced into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded to end the threat in the fourth.

Hernandez added an RBI double that snuck inside the first-base bag in the seventh, and Connor Owings added a two-run single to push the lead to 9-2.

The Frogs answered in the bottom of the game with back-to-back two-out RBI singles by Dimas Ojeda and Quevedo.

The series continues at 7:05 p.m. Friday. Matt Festa (3-2, 5.16 ERA) will pitch for Everett against Hillsboro’s Wei-Chieh Huang (0-1, 3.86).