Hot Rods Game Notes
Published on April 12, 2026 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
Defended Home Soil.... The Bowling Green Hot Rods secured its second series victory of the season with a 7-5 triumph over the Rome Emperors on Saturday. The Hot Rods have won each of their first two series at Bowling Green Ballpark in 2026 following also downing the Winston-Salem Dash in two games of a three-game set. The Hot Rods' bullpen silenced the Emperors for the final three innings on Saturday afternoon. Right-handed pitchers Jacob Kmatz and Jonathan Russell combined for five strikeouts. Russell earned his first save as a Bowling Green Hot Rods player.
Gillen's Gotten Going.... Theo Gillen, the Tampa Bay Rays' No. 1 prospect, has logged the game-winning his in each of the last two games. The 20-year-old delivered a game-winning three-run double in Friday night's 6-4 victory for Bowling Green over the Rome Emperors. Gillen leads the Hot Rods with three doubles this season. He turned around and hit a go-ahead solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning on Saturday.
Pitching Power.... The Hot Rods' pitching staff struck out 19 batters in their Tuesday night opener against Rome. It tied the second-most single-game strikeouts in Bowling Green franchise history and marked the first time since 2021. Hot Rods pitching has now struck out 60 batters in this series following 12 punch outs on Saturday.
Bullpen Boost.... Bowling Green's relievers have come up big in their wins over Rome. Left-handed pitcher T.J. Fondtain blanked the Emperors with 3.0 scoreless innings on Wednesday night, logging his first Hot Rods save. Cade Citelli followed up on Thursday night with 2.1 scoreless innings to secure a save. Citelli allowed just one hit and fanned three in the 10-5 win. Andres Galan starred on Friday night with 3.0 scoreless innings to earn the win. The right-hander surrendered just one hit in the Hot Rods' comeback win.
He's Grrrreat!.... Tony Santa Maria became the second Hot Rods player to record three hits in a single-game in 2026. Santa Maria went 3-for-4 with an RBI double on Friday night. The returning Hot Rods player is batting 5-for-his-last-13 with an .847 OPS over his last five games.
Flew Ball is For Real.... Nathan Flewelling became the first Hot Rods player with multiple round-trippers this season when he hit a solo blast on Thursday night, part of a 10-5 win. Flewelling logged the most total bases (7) of any Hot Rods player in a single-game this season when he added an RBI triple in his next at-bat. The 19-year-old is raking at the plate for a 1.178 OPS and 7 RBI, both bests of any Hot Rods player in his first six games of the 2026 season.
South Atlantic League Stories from April 12, 2026
- Drive Let Lead Slip Away, Settle for Series Split with 6-5 Loss - Greenville Drive
- Spartanburgers Edge Drive to Split Series - Hub City Spartanburgers
- Gillen Logs Hot Rods Second Multi-Homer Game in 10-3 Loss - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Grasshoppers Secure Series Win over Asheville with 4-2 Sunday Victory - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Renegades End Wilmington on Skid - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Grasshoppers Secure Series Win over Asheville with 4-2 Sunday Victory - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Grasshoppers Secure Series Win with Sunday Victory - Asheville Tourists
- Keys Finish Road Trip with Series Finale Loss to Dash - Frederick Keys
- Claws Roll to 7-0 Sunday Win, Clinch Series - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Brooklyn Bested by Jersey Shore, 7-0, to Close out First Road Trip of '26 - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Renegades Game Notes - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
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