South Bend, IN- Matthew Liberatore struck out seven South Bend Cubs in a 1-0 loss on Friday night at Four Winds Field in South Bend, IN. The Hot Rods fall to 1-1 in the second half and 40-32 overall with the third game of the four-game series set for Saturday
South Bend, IN- Matthew Liberatore struck out seven South Bend Cubs in a 1-0 loss on Friday night at Four Winds Field in South Bend, IN. The Hot Rods fall to 1-1 in the second half and 40-32 overall with the third game of the four-game series set for Saturday evening at 6:05 PM CDT.
Liberatore pitched well on Friday, setting down the first four batters he faced in order before allowing a one-out walk in the second to Jonathan Sierra. Sierra was caught stealing after the southpaw's first strikeout to close out the inning. Liberatore held the Cubs hitless through 6.2 innings before Brennan Davis doubled to left to break up the no-hitter. Tyler Durna followed up with a ground ball to center for a single, driving in Davis to give South Bend a 1-0 lead.
That run is all the Cubs needed, as the Hot Rods were held to just one hit over the final three innings with two walks. The team had one runner in scoring position in the eighth in Osmy Gregorio, but he was stranded there as the inning ended.
Liberatore went seven innings in his first loss of the season, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Chris Muller worked one scoreless inning, allowing a hit and a walk with a strikeout.
Notes: Liberatore tied his season and career-high in innings pitched… Ford Proctor has a four-game hitting streak… Muller's scoreless outing was his first since May 25 against Dayton… It's his second consecutive outing without allowing an earned run… The Hot Rods fall to 8-9 in the month of June… They're 2-5 on the road on Fridays and 6-6 overall on that day of the week… The team is 5-7 on the road in their blue jerseys and 9-10 overall… The Hot Rods trail the Cubs in the season series and have a record of 2-6 against South Bend… The 1-0 loss is the team's first since July 21, 2018 when they suffered the same fate in Appleton, WI against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers… The Hot Rods have been shut out seven times in 2019… They're 11-12 in one-run games… BG is 5-24 when they are out-hit by the opponent… The Hot Rods continue their four-game series with the South Bend Cubs on Saturday with a 6:05 PM CDT first pitch… Bowling Green will send RH Shane Baz (2-0, 1.44) to the mound to face South Bend LH Faustino Carrera (4-2, 2.78)… 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
