MWL1 Bowling Green Hot Rods

Bowling Green Drops Series Opener to West Michigan, 4-3

Published on July 10, 2015 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


Comstock Park, Mich. - Bowling Green left eight men on base and went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, falling by a run in the series opener against West Michigan, 4-3, to open the four-game weekend series in front of 6,177 fans at Fifth Third Ballpark Friday night.

For the second straight game, Bowling Green (8-8, 45-41) snagged a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, as Hunter Lockwood led off with a single to left field off All-Star starter Spencer Turnbull, and Mac James singled to right, moving Lockwood to third on the hit and run. The table was set for Nick Ciuffo, who grounded out to second base to score Lockwood.

West Michigan (10-5, 43-41) answered in the bottom of the third against Hot Rods All-Star starter Hunter Wood with a pair of two-out runs. Following a Derek Hill groundout and Rashad Brown flyout, Ross Kivett doubled into centerfield and Michael Gerber walked before Joey Pankake singled in Kivett, tying the game at 1-1. On the next pitch, Will Kengor drove Gerber home on a single to centerfield, giving the Whitecaps their first lead of the night, 2-1.

Wood surrendered another two-run frame in the bottom of the fourth, allowing a leadoff single by Arvicent Perez and walking David Gonzalez before Derek Hill singled into centerfield to score Perez, pushing the Whitecaps lead to 3-1. A Brown fielder's choice put runners at the corners, moving Gonzalez to third, and Kivett's fielder's choice scored Gonzalez to give West Michigan a 4-1 lead.

Wood (1-4) exited the game following Kivett's RBI after just 3.1 innings, his shortest outing in a start this year, scattering eight hits and four runs while striking out four and walking two. Jordan Harrison came in first from the bullpen, ending the Whitecaps inning and proceeded to hum 2.2 scoreless overall through the sixth.

James cut the West Michigan lead in half in the sixth, plating Alec Sole on a two-out RBI double down the right-field line, bringing Bowling Green within 4-2.

Turnbull went out for the seventh but promptly gave up back-to-back singles to Bralin Jackson and Grant Kay to put the tying runners and was lifted for southpaw Gabe Speier, who induced three straight pop-outs to halt the threat.

Over 6.0 innings plus, Turnbull (7-2) limited the Hot Rods to two runs over eight hits with one walk and six punchouts in improving to 4-0 over his last five starts.

Edgar Gomez blanked the Whitecaps over the seventh and eighth innings, giving the offense one last opportunity in the ninth.

After Speier's 2.0 perfect innings, Bowling Green faced fireballer and Futures Game participant Joe Jimenez for the ninth. Ciuffo started the inning by reaching on a fielding error by Pankake, and Jackson doubled down the right-field line to put both runners into scoring position. Following Kay's flyout, Riley Unroe scored Ciuffo from third on a sacrifice fly to centerfield, inching the Hot Rods within 4-3, but Cristian Toribio's ensuing pop-out ended the comeback attempt and gave Jimenez his 10th save.

James and Jackson both collected three hits, while Jackson busted out of a 2-for-25 slump by going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Bowling Green is now 2-8 in its last 10 one-run contests.

Henry Centeno (5-5, 4.18) will get the ball for Bowling Green on Saturday at 6 p.m. CDT, as the Hot Rods look to stop a two-game slide, as the Venezuelan faces right-hander A.J. Ladwig (7-6, 3.74) for the third time this season, as the two have split the first two meetings.

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Midwest League Stories from July 10, 2015


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