Riley Unroe's Grand Slam Powers BG Past South Bend, 5-0
July 2, 2015 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
Bowling Green, Ky. - Riley Unroe hit Bowling Green's first grand slam of 2015 as part of a five-run top of the fifth inning that forged the Hot Rods past South Bend, 5-0, in the first of a four-game home-and-home series in front of 7,855 fans Thursday night, the second-largest crowd in Four Winds Field history.
Bowling Green (4-4, 41-37) recorded its league-best ninth shutout of the season, while Hot Rods starter Greg Harris (5-5) clinched wins in consecutive starts for the first time in his career. The reigning Midwest League Pitcher of the Week turned in 5.1 innings of shutout baseball, scattering six hits and a pair of hit batters, but struck out eight Cubs (4-4, 33-42) in extending his personal scoreless streak to 12.1 frames.
After the Hot Rods were held hitless by Erick Leal through the first four innings, Mac James led off that fateful fifth with a double down the left-field line and moved to third base on a Carter Burgess single. Grant Kay then delivered the first run of the game, hitting a sacrifice fly to right field that scored James, to give the Hot Rods a 1-0 lead, marking Kay's first RBI since May 23.
The next three Hot Rods reached base - Cristian Toribio on a fielder's choice, erasing Burgess at second base for the second out, Alec Sole on his fifth double of the year and Thomas Milone drew a walk - to set the table for Unroe, who launched a 1-2 pitch from Leal over the wall in right for a grand slam and his second home run of the season - first since April 15 - making for a 5-0 score. Bowling Green's last grand slam came courtesy of former Rays farmhand James Harris ironically enough at South Bend, an inside-the-park four-bagger in the first inning on July 30, 2014.
Leal (6-5) exited following that five-run stanza, surrendering four hits, while issuing a pair of walks and striking out only one. Daniel Lewis and Corbin Hoffner combined for 4.0 innings of shutout ball, allowing a hit and a walk each while striking out a combined three out of the South Bend bullpen.
South Bend could not answer the five-run frame for the Hot Rods, despite putting runners on base in each successive inning and loading the bases in the ninth against Damion Carroll on non-consecutive walks issued to Jesse Hodges, Rashad Crawford and Gleyber Torres, but a Jason Vosler groundout ended the threat, and the game.
Brian Miller and Carroll extended a 12.2 inning scoreless streak for the Hot Rods' bullpen, which has overall permitted just five earned runs over the last 41.2 innings for a 1.09 ERA over the span.
South Bend left 12 men on base and went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Conversely, Bowling Green posted just six hits, left four men on base and went 2-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
Bowling Green looks to clinch a winning road trip on Friday at 6:35 p.m. CDT in its last regular season matchup at South Bend, when Hyrum Formo (4-3, 5.18) toes the rubber against South Bend's Opening Night starter Jake Stinnett (3-2, 5.30) at Four Winds Field.
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