MWL1 Bowling Green Hot Rods

Hot Rods Clinch Series Victory, Defeat Great Lakes, 6-4

Published on August 26, 2015 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


Midland, Mich. - In the rubber match of the final regular season series between Bowling Green and Great Lakes, the Hot Rods plated four runs in the top of the fourth and held off the Loons for a 6-4 victory in front of 5,042 fans at Dow Diamond on Wednesday night.

After losing the first three games the road trip, Bowling Green (28-29, 65-62) has won consecutive road games for the first time since July 12-13 at West Michigan and claimed a road series victory for the first time since June 6-8, a three-game sweep at Clinton. Great Lakes (24-33, 63-62) finished its homestand with a 2-3 record.

Tied 2-2 heading to the top of the fourth, the Hot Rods touched Loons' starter Andrew Sopko for four runs in what proved to be the decisive inning. On Sopko's first pitch of the frame, Carter Burgess tattooed his first Midwest League home run over the wall in left to give the Hot Rods a lead they would never relinquish at 3-2. Nick Ciuffo followed with a double to right field, and with two outs, Thomas Milone drove Ciuffo home on a RBI single into right field, doubling the Loons up at 4-2.

Following Milone's RBI single, Sopko (1-1) was taken out of the game after 3.2 innings, allowing six hits and five runs (three earned), walking two and striking out two.

Against James Campbell in relief, Riley Unroe cracked the first pitch over the right-field fence for his fourth of the year - first since July 17 vs. Great Lakes - to score Milone and give the Hot Rods a 6-2 lead.

Great Lakes rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh, starting with a Brian Wolfe single against Hot Rods' starter Henry Centeno, who then threw a wild pitch sending Wolfe to second and then balked Wolfe to third. Centeno walked Nick Sell and was promptly removed for Luis Urena, who threw a wild pitch to Matt Beaty to score Wolfe and bring Great Lakes within 6-3. Urena then walked Beaty, fell victim to a balk of his own to put runners at second and third and hit Nick Dean to load the bases. Urena's second wild pitch scored Sell from third, making it 6-4. However, Urena retired the final two batters out of the inning and worked a scoreless eighth to finish his 2.0 inning outing on two hits with no runs, while striking out one and walking one.

Centeno (8-7) was charged with the two runs scored in the seventh, finishing his night with four runs and four hits permitted over 6.0 innings with two walks two four punchouts in winning his first road decision since June 8.

Edgar Gomez tossed a perfect bottom of the ninth in picking up his sixth save of the season in as many opportunities. Bowling Green's bullpen did not surrender a run over 11 innings in the series.

In the top of the second inning, the Hot Rods dented Sopko for a pair of two-out runs. Mac James drew a two-out walk and Grant Kay doubled in the next at-bat, with James scoring on the errant relay throw home, giving the Hot Rods a 1-0 lead. Milone then racked a 3-2 pitch from Sopko on a line to left for a RBI single to score Kay, 2-0 Bowling Green.

Great Lakes tied it in the bottom of the inning, courtesy of Justin Chigbogu's RBI double, scoring Sell who walked with one out, making it 2-1 Hot Rods. Dean looped a RBI single to shallow centerfield to score Chigbogu, knotting the affair at 2-2.

Milone, Unroe and Ciuffo all recorded two hits, while Milone and Unroe had two RBI each. Combined, Milone and Unroe went 4-for-10 with four RBI and two runs scored from the top two spots in the Bowling Green batting order.

Bowling Green enters the final leg of the extended road trip with a three-game set in Dayton, beginning Thursday night at 6 p.m. CDT when All-Star Chris Pike (9-7, 3.08) faces off against Dragons' All-Star righty Tejay Antone (6-9, 2.87).

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Midwest League Stories from August 26, 2015


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