Hot Rods Game Notes
Published on May 6, 2026 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
SAL Royalty.... This week's series at Bowling Green Ballpark features the two most recent South Atlantic League Champions. The Bowling Green Hot Rods captured the SAL crown in 2024, their third title in five seasons. The Brooklyn Cyclones earned their first SAL championship in 2025, sweeping the Greensboro Grasshoppers and Hub City Spartanburgers, for their first title as a franchise since 2019.
Home Cooking... The Hot Rods have won all three of their home series in 2026. Bowling Green commands a 11-4 record at Bowling Green Ballpark and leads the South Atlantic League with a 73.3 win percentage. Bowling Green pitching has delivered a 10.6 K/9 over 126 innings pitched, while the bats are slugging .430 with 19 home runs.
Locking Down Dubs... Bowling Green leads all of Minor League Baseball with 14 saves in 2026. The Hot Rods have four more saves than any other team in the South Atlantic League. The Hot Rods are a perfect 9-for-9 in save opportunities at Bowling Green Ballpark, the next closest teams in MiLB have seven home saves this season. RHP Jacob Kmatz leads the SAL with four saves this season. Fellow RHPs Noah Beal and Jonathan Russell are each tied for second in the league with three saves.
Flew Ball is For Real.... Nathan Flewelling has launched a home run in each of the Hot Rods' first five series of the season and boasts a team-high seven home runs. The Tampa Bay Rays' No. 10 prospect connected for home run in each of his last two appearances against the Rome Emperors at AdventHealth Stadium on May 1st and May 3rd. Flewelling enters Wednesday with the sixth-best OPS (1.048) and seventh-best SLG (.641) in the South Atlantic League.
Coming in Clutch.... Angel Mateo delivered two of Bowling Green's biggest hits during their series in Rome. Mateo clobbered a three-run home run in an 8-4 victory on April 28th. He drilled a game-tying two-run double in the ninth inning of May 1st's thrilling 6-5 win in 11 innings three days later. Mateo is slugging .389 over his last five games, third-best of any Hot Rods player in that time span.
Welcome to Bowling Green!.... Rookie RHP Jack Kartsonas makes his Hot Rods debut on the mound Wednesday. Kartsonas was named All-Big 12 Second Team in 2025 with the West Virginia Mountaineers, leading WVU with five wins, a 2.42 ERA and a .226 opponent batting average. The 25-year-old opened his professional career with the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, throwing a 2.12 ERA across 17 innings.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 6, 2026
- Thunderstorms Push Back Game Two against Wilmington - Hub City Spartanburgers
- Ronald Hernandez tallies two hits, John Bay drives in two in defeat - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Sanford Delivers in the Clutch as Greensboro Walks off Greenville - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Santa Maria Ties Career-High with 5 RBI in 8-4 Win - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Keys Wins Third Straight Game in Decisive Victory over BlueClaws - Frederick Keys
- Davis Homers, But Keys Top Claws 11-5 on Wednesday - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Renegades Emphatically End Skid - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Around the Farm: Never Say Die - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Blue Rocks Send Asheville Packing in Near-Series Sweep - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Asheville Tourists Rained out May 6 against Rome - Asheville Tourists
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Shelton Awarded Minor League Baseball Player of the Month - Winston-Salem Dash
- Brooklyn Cyclones Game Notes - Wednesday, May 6 - at Bowling Green (12:05 PM ET) - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Renegades Game Notes - 5/6/2026 - Hudson Valley Renegades
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