Hot Rods Game Notes
July 4, 2022 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
Happy Independence Day! Tonight's game between the Bowling Green Hot Rods (4-4, 45-28) and the Hickory Crawdads (5-4, 43-32) will have a 6:35 PM CT first pitch for the first game of a six-game series at Bowling Green Ballpark. Tonight's game will be followed by the largest fireworks display in all of Southcentral Kentucky!
Ending on a High Note... The Hot Rods and Tourists completed their series in five games, and BG snapped a three-game skid to finish off thir first trip to Asheville this season. Mason Montgomery put forth another dominant outing, striking out nine in 5.0 innings to earn his third win of the season. At the plate, the Hot Rods got home runs from Ronny Simon, who moved into a tie for eighth in the league with his 12th long ball of the year, and Luis Leon, as well as a 3-5 day from Alika Williams. Diego Infante chipped in a multi-hit game, going 2-4 with two RBI.
Yesterday's Notes... Montgomery struck out at least nine for the sixth time this season... Manzardo extended his on-base streak to 24 games... Simon has a seven-game hit streak... Infante extended his hitting streak to eight games... Williams had his 13th multi-hit game of the year... It was also his third three-hit game... Infante has 18 multi-hit games this year... He also had his seventh multi-RBI game of 2022... Leon drove in two runs for the second time since joining the Hot Rods...
We Meet Again... Bowing Green starts off their second-half home schedule the same way they ended the first half, with the second place Hickory Crawdads. Hickory enters the series three games behind Bowling Green in second place. BG is 8-4 against the Crawdads this season, with a series split in June and a 5-1 series victory in Hickory back in April.
Walk it Out... Kyle Manzardo currently owns the best walk-per-strikeout rate on the Hot rods. at 0.93, Manzo is walking 15.6% of the time to a 16.7% strikeout rate. Alika Williams has a K% of 17.9%, which is the 12th lowest mark in the league for anyone with 150+ at-bats.
Clinched... BG finished the first half leading their division for the third time in club history, clinching a playoff spot with 2018's Midwest League Champions and again in 2011. (there were no halves in 2021). The 2011 team finished the first leg of the season with a 41-29 record while the 2018 Hot Rods set a franchise record with 47 wins in the first half and a record of 47-22. The 2022 club became the third Hot Rods team to the 40-win mark in a half.
Prepared for the Postseason... The 2022 Playoff structure looks a little different than last season's "High-A East" setup. The season is split into two halves, with the first-half ending after games on June 23. Each division's team with the best record will earn a berth, with the divisional first and second half champions facing one another in a three-game series in the postseason. The winners of those series will be crowned division champions, with the two remaining teams set to face one another in a three-game championship series. The Hot Rods clinched a playoff spot after winning the South Division in the first half. They will be joined by the first half North Division Winners in the Aberdeen IronBirds.
Keeping it 100... With 12 strikeouts in the division-clinching shutout, Mason Montgomery became the first minor league starter to record100 strikeouts, and the fourth pitcher across the minor and major leagues to reach the mark. He reached the mark faster than both major league starters who have broken the 100-strikeout barrier and second-fastest overall. Montgomery has struck out 19 more batters than any other pitcher in the South Atlantic League and also leads the league in ERA with 1.81.
South Atlantic League Stories from July 4, 2022
- Eighth-Inning Rally Lifts Hoppers to July 4 Victory - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Hot Rods Walk off Crawdads in Front of Sellout Crowd - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Four-Run Seventh Sees Dash Grab Series Opening Win - Winston-Salem Dash
- Dodd Hurls Gem, Braves Come Away Winners on Independence Day - Rome Emperors
- Hudson Valley Blanks Jersey Shore - Hudson Valley Renegades
- BlueClaws Blanked 8-0 on the 4th of July - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Taveras and Brown Pitch Well in 2-1 Loss - Asheville Tourists
- Frankly, That Could Have Gone Better - BKLYN Falls 3-1 on July 4th - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- HVR Game Notes - July 4, 2022 - Hudson Valley Renegades
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