SAL Bowling Green Hot Rods

Hot Rods Lose Rain-Shortened Game 9-7 on Friday

May 28, 2021 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


Asheville, North Carolina - The Bowling Green Hot Rods (12-10) lost a rain-shortened game to the Asheville Tourists (12-9) by a score of 9-7 Friday night at McCormick Field in Asheville, North Carolina. The two teams play the penultimate game of the series Saturday with a 5:05 PM CT first pitch.

The Hot Rods drove in the first three runs of the game off Asheville starter Blair Henley in the top of the second inning. Jonathan Aranda led off with a double and Ruben Cardenas brought him in with a double of his own. In the next at-bat, Evan Edwards singled in Cardenas. Edwards moved to second on a fly ball from Niko Hulsizer, then scored on an Erik Ostberg single to give the Hot Rods a 3-0 lead.

Peyton Battenfield gave up three runs in the top of the second inning for the Hot Rods. Scott Schreiber led off with a home run to bring the Tourists within two. Matthew Barefoot doubled and Joe Perez drove him in with a double of his own. Luis Santana hit an RBI single to center field to bring in Perez and tie the game at 3-3.

A bases loaded balk from Henley in the top of the third gave the Hot Rods the lead back 4-3. In the top of the fourth, Jacson McGowan tacked on another run with a solo homer to push Bowling Green's advantage to 5-3. Cardenas made it a 6-3 game in the fifth with a solo homer off Tourists reliever Felipe Tejada.

Asheville stormed back in the bottom of the fifth with four runs against Battenfield and Hot Rods reliever Evan McKendry. Korey Lee singled and Schreiber reached on a fielder's choice against Battenfield to chase him from the game. Barefoot singled and Perez hit a grand slam to right field off McKendry to give Asheville a 7-6 lead.

Tourists pitcher Jose Bravo entered in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs, Grant Witherspoon hit a solo homer to tie the game again at 7-7. In the bottom half of the sixth, Asheville scored two off McKendry to regain the lead, 9-7.

Rain started falling before the seventh inning and the tarp was put on the field. The rain never let up and eventually the decision was made to make the game official after six innings. Friday's contest ended with a 9-7 Asheville win.

Battenfield tossed 4.2 allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits while striking out seven in a no decision. McKendry (2-1) allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits with a strikeout over 1.1 innings in his first loss of the season.

Notes: Cardenas extended his on-base streak to 19 games... He also extended his hitting streak to nine games... Cardenas and Aranda both collected their team-leading seventh multi-hit games... Ostberg had his fourth multi-hit game this season... Witherspoon hit his fifth homer and brought in his 19th RBI... He leads the team in both categories... Battenfield made his longest start of the season with 4.2 innings pitched... He surrendered his first earned runs of the season on Friday... This is the fourth-straight loss for BG, setting their season-high... Four errors is the most the Hot Rods have committed this season... Bowling Green is 3-5 in their blue uniforms... This is the Hot Rods first rain shortened game of the season... It is the second weather affected game this year... The first was opening day in Greenville, South Carolina, which was postponed and played on the third day of the season... The Hot Rods and Tourists play the fifth game of a six-game series Friday... First pitch will be at 5:05 PM CT... Bowling Green will send RH Zack Trageton (1-1, 2.87) against a pitcher to be determined by Asheville.

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South Atlantic League Stories from May 28, 2021


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