Renegades come up just short of title in 4-1 Game 3 loss

Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Sept. 18, 2024) — The Hudson Valley Renegades came up just short of a South Atlantic League championship, falling to the Bowling Green Hot Rods 4-1 in a deciding Game 3 at Heritage Financial Park and dropping the best-of-three series 2-1.

Both teams were held scoreless through the first three frames, but Bowling Green struck in the fourth. Mac Horvath singled and scored two batters later on an Aidan Smith RBI double. Smith came home in the next at-bat on a Noah Myers bunt single to make it 2-0 Hot Rods.

Trent Sellers finished his season with a career-high five innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits. The right-hander allowed two runs in the fourth but pitched a scoreless fifth to finish his outing.

The Renegades cut the lead in half in the sixth. Brendan Jones led off the frame with a single, and with two outs George Lombard split the gap in left-center for a double, driving in Jones.

In the seventh Garrett Martin doubled to lead off the inning as the tying run. However, Owen Wild retired three straight Hudson Valley batters to keep Bowling Green in front.

A Myers single and Tatum Levins double in the ninth put runners at second and third. The next batter, Raudelis Martinez, lined a two-run double to right to extend the Hot Rods advantage to 4-1.

Drew Sommers set down the Renegades with a 1-2-3 ninth, sealing Bowling Green’s third South Atlantic League Championship.

For the second straight year, Hudson Valley comes up just short of a SAL title, falling in the Championship Series. Despite the loss, it was a record-breaking season for the Renegades. Their 73 regular season wins set a franchise record, and they finished the regular season with a 47-19 record at home, the best in Minor League Baseball.