Hot Rods Surpass 200,000 Fans

August 27, 2009 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release

(Bowling Green, KY) - The Bowling Green Hot Rods, Class A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, announced that with Thursday night's crowd, the team has crossed the 200,000 fan threshold in its inaugural season. Thursday's crowd of 3,525 pushed the Hot Rods attendance to 201,514 with eight home games still to go in the 2009 season.

"This is a testament to the great fans in South Central Kentucky," said Hot Rods GM and CEO, Brad Taylor. "We knew coming in that this could be a great baseball area, and our fans have proven that. We thank the fans for welcoming us with open arms and we are excited about a strong finish to 2009 and look forward to an even bigger 2010."

Among the teams that play in venues with a seating capacity under 5,000, the Hot Rods lead the league in total attendance and average attendance each night. With an official capacity of 4,559, Bowling Green Ballpark is one of the smallest venues in the 16-team league, meaning Hot Rods fans, at 3,474 per game, are filling it to nearly 80% capacity each night.

The 2009 season began with a record 6,886 fans for Citizens First Opening Night on April 17. Since then the team has enjoyed an additional ten standing-room only crowds, with 6,054 fans ticking the turnstiles on July 10. Another 5,000-plus were Fueled by Fun on May 30, June 12, June 20, and August 14. In addition to the 11 standing-room only crowds, the team has topped the 4,000 mark a total of 16 times in just 58 home dates.

The 2009 season continues on Friday night with the finale of a four-game series with the West Virginia Power. The festivities include the Fireworks Finale presented by State Farm and WBKO as well as Auto Appreciation Night and an appearance by the Shriner Clowns. First pitch on is 7:05 PM. For tickets and merchandise, visit www.bghotrods.com or stop by the ticket office at Bowling Green Ballpark.

South Atlantic League Stories from August 27, 2009

• Drive Can't Recover From Intimidators Early Scoring, Lose 7-3 - Greenville Drive
• RiverDogs Eek By Rome, 2-1 - Charleston RiverDogs
• Intimidators run streak to 12 with 7-3 win in Greenville - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
• Wild Suns Loss Completes Winless Series - Hagerstown Suns
• BlueClaws Sweep Suns - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
• Legends errors help Hickory in comeback win - Lexington Legends
• Leach Stalls Hot Rods - Charleston Dirty Birds
• Armando Rodriguez Fans Nine In Gnats Win - Savannah Sand Gnats
• De Los Santos Throws Five No-Hit Innings On Thursday - Bowling Green Hot Rods
• Bats Stifled in 5-1 Loss - Augusta GreenJackets
• Crawdads score 8 straight for 8-4 win - Hickory Crawdads
• Hot Rods Surpass 200,000 Fans - Bowling Green Hot Rods
• Tourists, Grasshoppers Washed Out - Asheville Tourists
• Suns' Second-To-Last Home Series Of 2009 Will Run Through Weekend - Hagerstown Suns
• RiverDogs, Force Protection, Team Up to Salute Military - Charleston RiverDogs
• Joseph Named July's Topps Player of the Month - Charleston RiverDogs
• McMullen Traded to Kingston - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
• Former South Rowan High star joins Intimidators - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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