MWL1 Bowling Green Hot Rods

Lockwood's Home Run Leads Hot Rods Past Cubs, 5-2

Published on May 8, 2015 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


Bowling Green, KY - After missing the last 22 games on the disabled list, Hunter Lockwood's first game back was memorable, as he lifted a game-clinching home run in the bottom of the seventh to lead the Hot Rods (18-11) past South Bend (15-14) in a 5-2 final in front of 3,743 fans at Bowling Green Ballpark Friday night.

Although the previous 10 batters, and 19 of the last 20 Hot Rods, had been retired going all the way back to the first, Lockwood took Cubs reliever Francisco Carrillo (0-5) deep into the South Bend bullpen down the right-field line to break a 2-2 tie and give the Hot Rods their first lead of the evening at 3-2.

That same frame, Bowling Green got an insurance run, when Cristian Toribio lined a double into right field and scored on Thomas Milone's RBI single into left field, for the 4-2 cushion.

Bowling Green added to its lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Casey Gillaspie reached on a one-out line-drive single into centerfield and moved into scoring position after Grant Kay got hit by a pitch. With two outs, Lockwood recorded his second RBI in as many innings, singling into centerfield to bring home Gillaspie, upping the margin to 5-2.

South Bend threatened to score by putting the first two men on in the top of the ninth inning, but Kyle Bird induced a game ending 6-4-3 double play to clinch the victory for the Hot Rods. In saving his fifth game of the year, Bird has also tossed 13.0 consecutive scoreless innings to start the season, the longest stretch for a Hot Rod this season.

In the top of the first inning, the Cubs saw four straight two-out runners reach base against Hot Rods starter Chris Pike, with consecutive RBI singles from Justin Marra and Jesse Hodges making for a 2-0 South Bend lead.

Bowling Green got a run back in the bottom of the first inning, when the first four batters of the frame all reached. Milone led off the proceedings by legging out an infield single and swiping his seventh base of the season by taking second with Riley Unroe at the dish. Unroe then drew a walk to bring Jace Conrad to the plate, and Conrad singled into centerfield on the first pitch he saw from Cubs starter Trevor Clifton to bring home Milone, making for a 2-1 Cubs lead. Gillaspie got hit by the very next pitch to load the bases, but Clifton fanned the next three batters to bring the threat to an end.

From that point on, Pike (4-1) kept the Cubs off the scoreboard, tossing a career-high 7.0 innings - also the most by a Hot Rods hurler this year - while walking just one and striking out two in winning his third straight start.

South Bend's lead lasted until the last of the fourth, when Kay opened up the inning with a walk, advanced to second on Clifton's balk, moved to third on Lockwood's groundout and scored on a wild pitch from Clifton to tie the game at 2-2.

Clifton worked 5.0 innings, allowing just the two first-inning hits and a pair of runs in taking a no-decision.

Milone joined Lockwood with two hits, while eight of Bowling Green's nine starters reached base.

Enderson Franco (2-1, 4.29) gets the start for Bowling Green in the rubber match against South Bend on Saturday, opposing right-hander Ryan Williams (2-0, 0.35), the Midwest League's leader in ERA, in a 6:05 p.m. CDT start.

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Midwest League Stories from May 8, 2015


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