Hot Rods Let Lead Slip Away in 6-4 Loss to Lake County
Published on May 4, 2015 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
Bowling Green, Ky. - In the opening game of its six-game homestand, Bowling Green (15-10) squandered a one-run lead in the late innings, as Francisco Mejia's eighth-inning two-run home run paced the Lake County Captains (12-13) past the Hot Rods, 6-4, to bring Bowling Green's four-game winning streak to an end in front of 2,331 fans at Bowling Green Ballpark Monday evening.
A 4-3 Bowling Green lead was handed to Hunter Wood (0-1) in the seventh, but Lake County squared the affair at 4-4 on Taylor Murphy's two-out RBI single that scored Greg Allen from second just ahead of the tag from catcher Nick Ciuffo.
With two-outs in the eighth, Mejia delivered the game-winning shot, hitting his second home run of the season with Wood still on the bump for Bowling Green, landing the blast underneath the scoreboard in right-centerfield for the 6-4 score.
Wood pitched 2.0 innings, allowing three hits and three runs while also striking out three Captains. The 6-1 right-hander had only permitted one run on three hits over his first 18.0 relief innings this season.
Thirteen consecutive Hot Rods were retired between the fifth and ninth innings, including the first 10 batters Captains' reliever Thomas Pannone (1-0) faced, before Riley Unroe drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the ninth, but Coty Blanchard flew out to right to end the game.
Lake County drew first blood in the top of the first inning off Bowling Green starter Brent Honeywell, when the first three batters of the game all reached. Greg Allen opened the game by getting plunked in the leg, Bobby Ison reached on a bunt-single, and Yu-Cheng Chang doubled off the left-field fence on the first pitch he saw to bring Allen home for the 1-0 lead. Taylor Murphy's RBI groundout pushed the advantage to 2-0, bringing Ison home, while Dorssys Paulino's infield RBI single plated Chang to give the Captains a 3-0 cushion before the Hot Rods even came to bat.
Honeywell returned to his usual self after a rocky first inning, and finished his fifth outing of the year by tossing 6.0 complete innings of seven-hit ball, allowing just the three runs issued in the top of the first inning, while striking out four and walking none in a no-decision.
Bowling Green got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the second inning, when Grant Kay and Justin Williams led the frame off with back-to-back singles off Captains starter Justus Sheffield. Bralin Jackson then extended his on-base streak to 19 games with a RBI single to bring home Kay and cut the score to 3-1. Mac James continued his hot hitting in the next plate appearance, singling into right field on the very first pitch to score Williams to bring the Hot Rods within 3-2.
In the bottom of the fourth, Cristian Toribio ripped a one-out double into the left-field corner and scored on Thomas Milone's RBI single back through the box to tie the game at 3-3. Blanchard then gave the Hot Rods their first lead of the game, when he looped a two-out offering to shallow centerfield to score Milone, making for a 4-3 game.
Sheffield tossed 5.0 innings in a no-decision for Lake County, allowing four runs on a season-high nine hits, while issuing two walks and fanning a pair.
Kay and Williams notched two hits each for Bowling Green, while Paulino had two hits for Lake County.
Greg Harris (1-2, 2.70) will look to begin a new winning streak for the Hot Rods on Tuesday in a 6:35 p.m. CDT start, as he gets the start in the second game of the three-game series, while the Captains counter with right-hander Jordan Milbrath (0-3, 5.79).
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