Eastlake, OH- Beau Brundage and Jake Palomaki hit their first homers of the season in the Bowling Green Hot Rods 8-7 loss to the Lake County Captains in a 10-inning series finale on Sunday afternoon. The Hot Rods split the series and are 24-19. The team will travel to West
Eastlake, OH- Beau Brundage and Jake Palomaki hit their first homers of the season in the Bowling Green Hot Rods 8-7 loss to the Lake County Captains in a 10-inning series finale on Sunday afternoon. The Hot Rods split the series and are 24-19. The team will travel to West Michigan to face the Whitecaps in the first of four games on Monday night with a 6:05 CDT first pitch.
In the bottom of the first, Lake County took the lead against Hot Rods starter Easton McGee. After Jose Fermin reached on an error to begin the frame, Ruben Cardenas homered for the third time in the series, sending a two-run homer over the wall in left-center field that gave the Captains a 2-0 lead.
In the second, Bowling Green cut into the lead against Captains starter Luis Oviedo. Grant Witherspoon led off with a double to left-center, then scored when Roberto Alvarez followed with a double to right, making it a 2-1 game.
Lake County responded by extending the lead in the third with McGee still on the mound. Will Benson singled to left with two outs, and Miguel Jerez hit a two-run homer over the left field wall, putting Lake County in front by a 4-1 score.
The Hot Rods responded in the top of the fourth against Oviedo and the Captains. Ford Proctor doubled with one out and Oviedo walked Palomaki. Brundage jumped on a first-pitch fastball and launched a long home run over the right-field wall, tying the game at four apiece on the three-run blast, the first of his career.
In the seventh, the Hot Rods broke through against reliever Kellen Rholl. After two walks and an error loaded the bases with two outs, Palomaki singled into left field to score Chris Betts with the go-ahead run. Witherspoon was thrown out at the plate to end the inning, but Bowling Green had their first lead of the game, 5-4.
Miller Hogan began his second inning of relief with the lead and retired the first two hitters. Benson hit a long solo-shot on a 1-0 pitch off the scoreboard in right-center field, re-tying the game at five each.
In the ninth, Alvarez singled with one out against Lake County reliever Manuel Alvarez. After moving to third with two outs, Palomaki struck once more, lofting a fly ball over the left-field wall. His first home run of the season put the Hot Rods up 7-5.
The Captains tied the game in the bottom of the frame against Trey Cumbie to force extra innings. Benson led off with a single and Jerez hit his second home run of the game, a shot that cleared the wall in left-center to tie the game at seven.
Bowling Green was unable to score in the top of the tenth against Captains reliever Skyler Arias. Brundage began the inning on second base as the designated runner but was thrown out at the plate attempting to score on a ground ball by Wander Franco with one out. In the bottom of the inning against Chris Muller, Tyler Freeman singled to right with one out, plating Hosea Nelson to give Lake County an 8-7 walk-off win in the series finale.
McGee went 5.0 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits, walking three and striking out two in a no-decision. Hogan went 2.0 innings, allowing a run on three hits and striking out two. Cumbie went 2.0 frames, allowing two runs on four hits, walking two and striking out three. Muller (0-2) recorded one out, allowing a hit and an unearned run, taking his second loss.
Notes: Smith tripled for the second-consecutive game…It's the first time a Hot Rod has tripled in back-to-back game since Willy Adames on August 24-25, 2014…Alvarez has a six-game hitting streak…Alvarez has a team-high 12 multi-hit games…Brundage had his second multi-RBI game and set a career-high with three RBI…Johnson had his ninth multi-hit game… Palomaki has a four-game hitting streak…He also collected his seventh multi-hit game and his second consecutive two-hit effort…McGee has allowed four home runs this season, all against Lake County…He allowed two homers in two separate starts (the other on April 15 at home)…Bowling Green allowed four home runs, the most allowed this season…The Hot Rods are 3-3 in extra innings this season… Bowling Green are 20-11 against right-handed starters …The Hot Rods are 10-4 while wearing their orange uniforms…Bowling Green is 91-74 all-time against Lake County, 40-44 at Classic Park…The Hot Rods will travel to Comstock Park, MI to begin a four-game series with the West Michigan Whitecaps...RHP Shane Baz (0-0, 1.80) will start on Monday night for the Hot Rods against Whitecaps RHP Gio Arrera (2-2, 7.83), with first pitch at 6:05 CDT…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
