MWL1 Bowling Green Hot Rods

De Jong Complete Game Completes Sweep of BG, 3-1

Published on June 18, 2015 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


Lansing, Mich. - Chase De Jong went the distance for Lansing tying a career-high with 10 strikeouts and putting the finishing touches on a three-game sweep of Bowling Green in a 3-1 final in front of 4,872 fans at Cooley Law School Stadium on Thursday night.

Lansing's (40-27) victory clinches a first-half Eastern Division playoff spot for the Lugnuts, while Bowling Green (37-30 suffered its first series sweep of 2015 and has dropped four in a row overall heading to Fort Wayne for the last three games of the half.

De Jong (7-4) tossed 9.0 innings, allowing just four hits with three walks over 100 pitches in spinning Lansing's first nine-inning complete game since Aug. 2011. The only run against De Jong came in the top of the fourth inning with two outs, when All-Star catcher Nick Ciuffo singled home Bralin Jackson, who walked with one out and moved to second base on a Jace Conrad walk, squaring the game at 1-1.

Lansing scored a first-inning run for the third straight game, grabbing a 1-0 lead off Hot Rods All-Star starter Brent Honeywell (4-4), when Anthony Alford led off the game with a double to right field and scored on a Ryan McBroom two-out bloop single. After Alford scored, McBroom tried to stretch his single into a double, but Jackson registered the first of his two outfield assists in the contest, pegging a pinpoint throw to second to cut down McBroom and end the inning.

Tim Locastro re-gave Lansing the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, bringing home D.J. Davis on a sacrifice fly to left, making for a 2-1 Lugnuts lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Richard Urena opened the inning with a walk and moved to third base on Rowdy Tellez's double. Honeywell bounced back to fan McBroom and Jason Leblebijian for two outs and worked a 0-2 count on Davis, but he lined a RBI single to left field to score Urena for a 3-1 edge. It was nearly a 4-1 lead, but Jackson gunned down Tellez trying to score to end the frame.

Honeywell permitted eight hits and three runs over 6.0 innings of work, while walking one and striking out five in the loss. Edgar Gomez logged 2.0 scoreless innings of relief, striking out two and allowing just one base runner on a two-out walk to Locastro in the seventh inning.

Bowling Green did not put a runner in scoring position after tying the game in the fourth, as De Jong motored through the last five innings, retiring the side in order in the top of the ninth to seal the deal.

Ciuffo was the only Hot Rod to record multiple hits, going 3-for-4, while Riley Unroe extended his career-best hitting streak to 12 games on a first-inning single.

Bowling Green heads to Fort Wayne, Ind. for the first time this season for a three-game series to conclude the half with still a chance at claiming the other Eastern Division playoff spot. Game one on Friday at 6:05 p.m. CDT at Parkview Field features Hot Rods right-hander Greg Harris (3-4, 2.48) battling TinCaps right-hander Michael Kelly (2-1, 6.00).

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Midwest League Stories from June 18, 2015


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