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Bowling Green Hot Rods

Five-Run Sixth Pushes Hot Rods Past Cubs, 9-4

July 5, 2015 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


Bowling Green, Ky. - Bowling Green used five two-out runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to salvage a split of the four-game, home-and-home series with the South Bend Cubs, taking Sunday's matinee, 9-4, in front of 2,204 fans at Bowling Green Ballpark.

South Bend reliever Jordan Minch got rocked for those five two-out runs on three hits allowed in the bottom of the sixth. Bralin Jackson led off the frame reaching on an error by shortstop Gleyber Torres, and was followed by Grant Kay's walk. Thomas Milone then grounded into a fielder's choice, erasing Kay at second base, but moving Jackson to third. After Riley Unroe struck out for the second out of the frame, Alec Sole roped a two-run triple into the left-centerfield gap, just past the outstretched centerfielder Charcer Burks, giving the Hot Rods a 6-2 advantage.

Justin Williams followed with his second RBI base knock of the contest - third hit altogether - driving home Sole to make it 7-2 Bowling Green. Following Mac James' second walk of the day, Nick Ciuffo delivered the final offensive blow, doubling down the right-field line off the glove of Cubs' first basemen Gioskar Amaya, scoring Williams and James, upping the Hot Rods lead to 9-2.

In total, Minch allowed five runs, all of which were unearned following the Torres error, on four hits over 1.2 innings of work.

Bowling Green (5-6, 42-39), though, set the offensive pace early, when Milone hit his first career leadoff home run over the South Bend bullpen in right field, giving the Hot Rods the 1-0 lead, and snapping a streak of 11.0 scoreless innings South Bend (6-4, 35-43) pitching had thrown against the Hot Rods.

Henry Centeno was perfect through the first 3.0 innings for Bowling Green, but issued a leadoff walk to Charcer Burks in the fourth and gave up the Cubs' first hit of the game to Jason Vosler on a one-out double into right field, moving Burks to third base. Gioskar Amaya followed Vosler's double with a RBI single to tie the game at 1-1, while a fielder's choice hit into by Jeffery Baez brought Vosler home to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead.

South Bend's advantage was short lived, however, as Bowling Green roared back over the middle innings, starting with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Ciuffo singled into right field and Carter Burgess doubled into left-centerfield setting runners at second and third. Ciuffo then tied the game at 2-2, scored on Jackson's RBI groundout, while Kay re-gave Bowling Green the lead at 3-2 on a RBI single that scored Jackson, but Kay was thrown out at second base, trying to stretch into a double.

Riley Unroe led off the bottom of the fifth inning by drawing a walk, and scored the only run of the frame to up the Hot Rods advantage to 4-2 on Williams' first RBI single.

Each of the first four runs scored by the Hot Rods went on the final line of southpaw starter Tommy Thorpe (2-5), who went 4.0 innings and was pulled after two batters in the fifth, marking the first start he has made this year in which he has not gone 5.0 innings. The former Oregon Duck allowed a career-high six hits, four earned runs and walked four Hot Rods batters while fanning only two.

Following his rocky fourth, Centeno (5-5) broke a three-start losing streak tying a career-best with 7.0 strong innings, permitting just those two runs and two hits in the top of the fourth inning. Centeno clinched his first victory since June 8 against Clinton, as the right hander struck out just one while issuing three walks.

South Bend put together a two-run top of the ninth against Jordan Harrison, with a solo home run from Vosler to pull the Cubs within 9-3, and a RBI double from Erick Castillo scored Baez, who reached on a fielder's choice and moved to second base on a Vimael Machin single, to cut the Hot Rods lead to 9-4, but Harrison induced a David Bote groundout to end the game.

Bowling Green stroked at a 6-for-16 clip with runners in scoring position, receiving multiple hits and two RBI each from Sole, Williams and Ciuffo, who combined to hit 7-for-13 with three runs scored. The Cubs left four men on base, two of which were stranded when the final out was recorded.

Dayton returns to Bowling Green Ballpark for the second time in the second half to begin another four-game home-and-home series, beginning on Monday at 7:05 p.m. CDT, when Chris Pike (7-2, 3.59) opposes former Southern California right hander Wyatt Strahan (5-5, 3.00) from Bowling Green Ballpark.

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