Hot Rods Fall 5-4 in 10 Innings on Thursday Night

Grant Witherspoon homered and Caleb Sampen threw his fourth straight quality start, but the Bowling Green Hot Rods couldn't hold a three-run lead, falling 5-4 in 10 innings to the Lake County Captains on Thursday night. Bowling Green falls to 22-18 ahead of Friday night's 5:30 p.m. CDT first pitch at Classic Park.

After the Hot Rods went down in order in the top of the first inning, Sampen retired the first two hitters before allowing three straight singles. However, Tony Pena threw out Will Benson at the plate to end the inning, keeping the game scoreless.
An inning later, the Hot Rods took the lead against Lake County starter Juan Mota. With one out, Witherspoon turned around a 2-2 pitch from Mota and launched it over the left field bleachers for a solo home run, his third of the year. Connor Hollis followed with a single, then went to third on an errant pickoff attempt. Mota followed that by uncorking a wild pitch, scoring Hollis to put Bowling Green up 2-0.
In the fourth, the Hot Rods tacked on another run against Lake County reliever Skylar Arias. Pena singled with two outs, then moved to second on a balk by Arias. Roberto Alvarez then won a ten-pitch at-bat with an RBI single to center, making the score 3-0, Hot Rods.
The score remained 3-0 into the seventh when the Hot Rods loaded the bases with one out. Ford Proctor struck a sharp ground ball to the right side of the infield, but Jesse Berardi made a diving stop, then started a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning and keep the Hot Rods off the board.
The double play paid off for the Captains in the bottom of the inning, as Sampen issued a walk and a single to begin the inning. He struck out the next two batters, but Miguel Jerez lined a two-run double down the left-field line. Hosea Nelson followed with his own double to right, tying the game at three apiece.
In the eighth, Chris Muller came out of the bullpen and struck out the first man he faced. However, Will Benson launched a solo homer that cleared the right field berm, putting the Captains up for the first time, 4-3.
The Hot Rods battled back in the ninth, though. Pena legged out an infield single to begin the inning, then moved to third when Alvarez chopped a ground ball over the head of Jerez at first to move Pena to third. After a strikeout, Jake Palomaki came through, tying the game at four apiece with a single to right. Muller returned for the ninth and set the side down in order, sending the game to extra innings.
In the tenth, Wander Franco began the frame at second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Kaleo Johnson hit a chopper over the mound, but Franco was thrown out at home attempting to score and the Hot Rods went scoreless in the inning. In the bottom half, Muller returned to the mound with Connor Smith pinch-running at second base to start the inning. Muller threw two wild pitches with Hosea Nelson at the plate, scoring Smith for the winning run, sending Bowling Green to a 5-4 loss.
Sampen went 7.0 innings in a no-decision, allowing three runs on seven hits, walking one, and striking out seven. Muller (0-1) pitched the final 2.0 innings, allowing two runs on one hit with five strikeouts and a home run allowed, taking his first loss.
Notes: Pena collected his third outfield assist, the most by a Hot Rods outfielder…Pena was hit by a pitch twice, the second time a Hot Rod has been plunked twice this season (also Connor Hollis on April 9)…Johnson had an eight-game hitting streak snapped…Alvarez recorded his tenth multi-hit game and second in a row…His three hits were a season high…Hollis picked up his seventh multi-hit game…Palomaki hit leadoff for the first time this year…Sampen went 7.0 innings, tying his season and career high (also May 3 at Peoria)… Sampen also recorded his fourth-straight quality start…The Hot Rods are 3-2 in extra innings this season…Bowling Green lost in walk-off fashion for the first this season and the first time since August 16, 2018 at Great Lakes…The Hot Rods fell to 7-5 in one-run games…BG is 8-5 in series openers, having lost their last five openers…Bowling Green is 89-73 all-time against Lake County, 38-43 at Classic Park…The Hot Rods will play the second game of the four-game series against the Lake County Captains with a 5:30 p.m. CDT first pitch on Friday night...LHP Shane McClanahan (2-3, 3.45) starts for the Hot Rods, while RHP Raymond Burgos (2-0, 3.06) gets the ball for Lake County…Fans can catch all the action with Shawn Murnin on Willie 107.9 FM, as well as, with their smart phones via the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn Radio app.
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Hot Rods Baseball