Kato Homers in Closely Contested Loss

ASHEVILLE- One thing that cannot be debated is that this year’s Asheville Tourists team fights to the very last out. Asheville trailed the Bowling Green Hot Rods by four runs late in Friday’s game. The Tourists scored two runs in the eighth and brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth. In the end, Bowling Green held on to win 5-3.

Asheville struck first to take a 1-0 lead. Michael Sandle drew a walk in the second inning and Justin Williams doubled him home. Bowling Green scored the game’s next five runs; two in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the eighth.

Down 5-1, Austin Deming hit a one-out double in the bottom of the eighth. After Deming moved to third with a groundout, he raced home from third base on a wild pitch. Kobe Kato followed with a solo Home Run to right-center; his second long ball of the season.

In the ninth, Miguel Palma and Tim Borden II both reached base with two outs. Deming worked a ten-pitch at-bat before going down on strikes to end the game. Asheville’s hitters struck out 14 times on the night.

Miguel Ullola pitched four shutout innings before he was charged with two runs in the fifth. Ullola moved into tenth place in strikeouts in the SAL. The right-hander has 110 on the year.

Tommy Sacco Jr. connected with his first triple of the season. It was a leadoff triple in the fourth inning; however, the Tourists were unable to plate Sacco Jr. from third.

Asheville will attempt to bounce back on Saturday night with Game Five of their current series with Bowling Green slated for 6:05pm ET.