Hot Rods Unable to Rally, Open Road Trip with 4-3 Defeat
Published on August 21, 2015 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
Lansing, Mich. - Lansing jumped out to an early lead that Bowling Green was unable to come back from, as the Hot Rods opened a nine-game road trip with a 4-3 loss in front of 8,986 fans at Cooley Law School Stadium on Friday night.
Bowling Green (26-27, 63-60) lost for the 11th time in its last 13 road games, while Lansing (25-28, 67-65) snapped an eight-game losing streak.
Hot Rods' starter Chris Pike allowed four runs over the first three innings, getting touched for the first run of the game two batters into the contest, when Chris Carlson doubled to left field to lead off the frame, and Richard Urena's RBI single gave Lansing a 1-0 lead.
In the third inning, a D.J. Davis RBI double scored Alex Maldonado - who opened the inning by reaching on a throwing error - gave the Lugnuts a 2-0 lead. Ryan McBroom followed with a RBI single of his own to score Carlson, making for a 3-0 game, but on the play, Davis was gunned down at home by Cade Gotta in right field. Lansing still added a run in the next at-bat courtesy of a David Harris RBI single, scoring McBroom, 4-0 Lugnuts.
Pike (9-7) settled down after the three-run third, finishing 6.0 innings while allowing nine hits and four runs (two earned) with six punch outs and zero walks.
Edgar Gomez kept the Lugnuts at bay over his 2.0 innings, surrendering two hits and striking out none with no walks.
Bowling Green scratched across its first run of the game against Lansing starter Chase Mallard in the top of the fifth inning. Grant Kay drew a two-out walk and stole second base before Cristian Toribio singled into centerfield to score Kay and bring the Hot Rods within 4-1.
Riley Unroe opened the top of the sixth inning with a single into right field - his third hit in as many at-bats - and scored on Alec Sole's RBI triple on the very next pitch into the right-field corner, cutting Lansing's lead to 4-2. Hunter Lockwood followed with an infield RBI single, scoring Sole and the score to 4-3, but Bralin Jackson's double play and Nick Ciuffo flyout ended the inning.
Mallard (6-5) was done after 6.2 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out two in defeating the Hot Rods for the third time this year. Colton Turner tossed the final 2.1 innings for the Lugnuts, giving up just a Jackson single to open the ninth inning, but induced a game-ending double play from Gotta to collect his first professional save.
Unroe lead the offensive charge for Bowling Green, going 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Toribio also collected a pair of hits going 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Game two of the set on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. CDT pits Jose Mujica (1-2, 3.41) against Lansing southpaw Tim Mayza (1-1, 2.93).
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