Hot Rods pitchers combine on 1-hit shutout of Hoppers

GREENSBORO ― Miller Hogan and two relievers combined on a one-hit shutout and the Bowling Green Hot Rods hit three more home runs on the way to a 10-0 victory over the Greensboro Grasshoppers at First National Bank Field on Saturday night.

Nick Gonzales just missed a home run leading off the fourth inning for the Hoppers, the ball hitting the top of the left-field wall and bouncing back onto the field for a double.

Gonzales and Aaron Shackelford, who was hit by a 3-2 pitch in the third inning, were Greensboro's only two baserunners on a night dominated by Bowling Green's pitchers.

Hogan (4-2, 3.62 ERA) walked none and struck out seven in five strong innings. Relievers Michael Mercado and Zack Trageton worked two innings apiece and combined to retire the last 12 Hoppers hitters in order. The two right-handers each struck out three.

Bowling Green first baseman Evan Edwards ― a Greensboro native who starred at Southern Guilford and N.C. State ― hit his 20th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the first inning, and drew three walks in the game. It's been a nice homecoming for Edwards, who is 7-for-21 with three home runs, a triple, two doubles and seven RBIs in five games at First National Bank Field.

Right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski (2-3, 2.30 ERA) took the loss, giving up a pair of home runs in two innings of work. Mlodzinski, who is rated by MLB Pipeline as the No. 11 prospect in Pittsburgh's farm system, made his second start since coming off the injured list with shoulder tightness, and he worked on a strict pitch-count. He threw 30 pitches in his first start last week, and 42 pitches on Saturday.

The second-place Hoppers (59-36) have lost four out of five games to the first-place Hot Rods (67-28) in this series. It's the first series loss of the season for Greensboro, which had won or split all 15 of its six-game series since opening day.

The series wraps up at 2 p.m. Sunday, the final daytime game of the season at First National Bank Field.

Bowling Green leads Greensboro by eight games in the High-A East's South Division standings. The Hoppers fell one game behind North Division leader Hudson Valley (60-35) in the race for the league's second playoff spot.

The teams with the top two records, regardless of division, qualify for the 12-team league's championship series in September. Greensboro plays 12 of its last 18 games against Hudson Valley.

Notes

• Will Matthiessen went 0-for-3 Saturday, but the 6-foot-7 outfielder/first baseman has been a thorn in Bowling Green's side in two series this season. Matthiessen has played nine games against the Hot Rods, going 14-for-38 (.368) with a home run, five doubles, 10 RBIs and five runs scored.
• Hoppers third baseman Jared Triolo has hit safely in 35 of his last 39 games, batting .335 (54-for-161) with nine doubles, eight home runs, 34 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in that span. He ranks third in the High-A East with 65 RBIs and fifth with a .296 batting average.
• Greensboro second baseman Nick Gonzales, who was the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft, ranks 10th in the league with a .288 batting average. Gonzales, who broke a finger early in the season, was batting just .214 on July 15. In 30 games since then, Gonzales is hitting .358 (44-for-123) with nine doubles, two triples, four home runs and 18 RBIs.
• Hoppers outfielders Matt Gorski and Lolo Sanchez both went 0-for-3 Saturday, but both have been hot in their last 12 games. Gorski is 13-for-41 (.317) with three home runs, three doubles and eight runs in his last 12. Meanwhile, Sanchez is 17-for-45 (.378) with three homers and 13 RBIs in his last dozen games.