MWL1 Bowling Green Hot Rods

Cade Gotta's Two Home Runs Help BG Avoid Sweep, 7-4

Published on August 20, 2015 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


Bowling Green, Ky. - Cade Gotta hit his first two home runs as a member of the Hot Rods, and Bowling Green avoided its first home sweep of the season by salvaging the finale against Fort Wayne, 7-4, in front of 2,302 fans at Bowling Green Ballpark on Thursday night.

Bowling Green (26-26, 63-59) finished its nine-game homestand with a 6-3 record and recorded its 40th home victory of 2015, marking the fourth time in franchise history that the team has had 40 home wins in a single season. Fort Wayne (34-18, 66-54) saw a franchise tying 10-game winning streak come to an end, but has still won 18 of its last 21 overall.

Down 3-2 entering the bottom of the eighth, the Hot Rods notched five runs against Fort Wayne reliever T.J. Weir. Thomas Milone opened the inning with an infield single to second base, while a throwing error on the play by Josh VanMeter allowed Milone to take second. Riley Unroe bunted Milone to third base, and Alec Sole delivered a one-out double down the left-field line to score Milone and tie the game at 3-3.

Coty Blanchard followed with a walk, and Nick Ciuffo shot a one-out single into right field to score Sole and give the Hot Rods their first lead of the series at 4-3. In the next at-bat, Gotta launched a 2-2 pitch down the left-field line into the Bowling Green bullpen for his second home run of the night giving the Hot Rods a 7-3 lead. However, the controversial call evoked a lengthy argument from the TinCaps with the umpiring crew, but the call ultimately stood.

Weir (5-4) was pulled after the home run allowed to Gotta, working 1.1 innings and getting touched for five runs over four hits, while walking two and striking out one.

Luis Urena entered the game in the top of the ninth and issued a leadoff walk to Jose Ruiz and consecutive infield singles to Edwin Moreno and Luis Urias before striking VanMeter out and inducing a game-ending double play off the bat of Ruddy Giron. Even though Ruiz scored on the 4-3-2 double play that cut down Moreno at home, the double play ended the game and marked the 11th straight game in which Bowling Green has turned two.

As in the previous two games of the series, Fort Wayne took the first lead of the game in the top of the second inning against Hot Rods' starter Henry Centeno. Franchy Cordero's leadoff single and stolen base put him in scoring position for a two-out RBI single by Ruiz, giving the TinCaps a 1-0 lead.

Bowling Green answered in the bottom of the fifth against TinCaps starter Ernesto Montas, when Gotta hit his first home run as a Hot Rod over the left-field fence, tying the game at 1-1. Montas finished his 6.0-inning outing allowing two runs total, while walking none and striking out three in a no-decision.

Centeno ran into trouble in the sixth, however, as the first two batters of the inning reached - VanMeter on a walk and Giron on a throwing error - and both ended up scoring on a fielding error by Carter Burgess at first, making it 3-1 TinCaps. Centeno finished his night after 6.1 innings, surrendering three hits and three runs (one earned) while walking two and striking out three in a no-decision.

Sole brought the Hot Rods within a run in the bottom of the sixth inning, hitting a sacrifice fly to left field to score Milone - who led off with a single into left field - bringing Bowling Green within 3-2.

Kyle Bird (3-0) worked 1.2 shutout innings on four hits, with no walks and one strikeout.

Milone and Gotta both recorded multi-hit games - Milone knocked three hits and scored two runs, while Gotta drove in a career-high four runs over his two long-balls, becoming the fifth Hot Rod this season to hit two home runs in a game - as Bowling Green combined for 10 hits overall, going 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Bowling Green held the TinCaps to just 2-for-13 with men in scoring position, and Fort Wayne left eight men.

Chris Pike (9-6, 3.08) opens the nine-game road trip for Bowling Green on Friday at 6:05 p.m. CDT in Lansing, Michigan, taking on Lugnuts' righty Chase Mallard (5-5, 5.13).

Check out the Bowling Green Hot Rods Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from August 20, 2015


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