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SAL Bowling Green Hot Rods

Hot Rods Game Notes

June 30, 2021 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


The Hot Rods won on a walk off walk in last night's 3-2 victory, taking a 5.0 game lead in the South Division over GBO.

Yesterday... Bowling Green earned their third walk-off victory of the season 3-2 on Tuesday over Greensboro. Niko Hulsizer got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single and Evan Edwards added an RBI double in the sixth. Connor Hollis worked a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to secure the victory. Michael Mercado ties season-highs with 5.0 innings pitched and six strikeouts. Alan Strong picked up his third win of the season, tossing a perfect inning and recording one strikeout.

Walk-Off Winners... The Hot Rods have collected three walk-off victories this season. The first was a walk-off grand slam off the bat of Greg Jones on May 15th against Asheville. Greg Jones sent his team home happy again on June 12th, reaching on an error and bringing in the winning run against Aberdeen. Tuesday was the first walk-off that Greg Jones was not involved in, as Connor Hollis pushed in the winning run with a bases-loaded walk.

900 Wins... With a 3-2 win on Tuesday, Jeff Smith captured his 900th win as a manager. He is in his first season as Hot Rods manager and second with the Tampa Bay Rays but it's his 13th season managing a minor league team. The BG skipper has compiled 900 career wins dating back to 2006 when he managed the Beloit Snappers, then Class-A affiliate to the Minnesota Twins. Smith owns a 417-316 record at the A-Advanced/High-A level, having managed the Twins A+ teams in Fort Myers ('08, '09, '15, '16) and the Charlotte Stone Crabs ('19) where he skippered the club to an 82-53 record, the most wins for a club under his charge in his career.

Home Sweet Home... While at Bowling Green Ballpark, the Hot Rods have been hard to beat. Through their first 19 games at home, they have posted a 16-3 record, losing no more than one game in each series. The Hot Rods have a +43 run differential at home, outscoring their opponents 119-76. With their series-opening win against Greensboro on Tuesday, they have won six straight at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Quick Impact... Since being promoted on June 15th, Hill Alexander has shown his skills at the plate. Over his seven games played, Alexander is 9-24 (.375) with two doubles, three homers, and six RBIs. Also over that span, he has collected three multi-hit games, including a two-homer game on June 26th at Hickory.

Yesterday's Notes... Mercado tied his season-high with six strikeouts... He has done this three times this season... Mercado's 5.0 innings pitched also ties a season-high... This is the third time this season he has tossed 5.0 innings... Witherspoon collected his third multi-hit game of 2021... This is Bowling Green's first walk-off since June 12th... Bowling Green has three walk-offs this year... This is also the first walk-off Greg Jones wasn't involved in ... The Hot Rods are 19-8 when scoring first this season... BG is 21-2 when outhitting opponents... Bowling Green is 2-3 against Greensboro all-time... This snaps a three-game losing streak against the Grasshoppers that dates back to 2009... The Hot Rods are 6-5 in one-run games...

Now pitching: Jacob Lopez... Working out of the bullpen and the rotation, Lopez has been solid this season. The lefty hasn't allowed a run in his last six outings dating back to May 18th. In the month of June, Lopez has a 0.00 ERA over 14.2 innings, striking out 25 and has three outings of seven strikeouts or more. In May, Lopez walked just three batters over 16.2 innings, while striking out 27 and posting an ERA of 4.32. He hasn't earned a decision since May 29th, but his ERA has dropped from 4.32 to 2.30 since that win.

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 30, 2021


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