Asheville, North Carolina – Owen Wild earned his sixth win of the season and the Bowling Green Hot Rods (22-12, 57-42) offense was relentless, leading to a 13-6 and 6-1 win over the Asheville Tourists (15-21, 44-56) on Tuesday at McCormick Field in Asheville, North Carolina.
The first game was picked up from June 30, when the two teams were suspended at Bowling Green Ballpark. The Hot Rods started at the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning, with runners on first and second, facing Asheville pitcher Franny Cobos. Kamren James entered in place of Angel Galarraga at second base and Mac Horvath took over for Gionti Turner at first. James and Horvath both scored on a combination of stolen bases and an error.
The Hot Rods ramped up their offense with seven runs in the bottom of the seventh against Cobos. Colton Ledbetter and Horvath collected RBI singles while Tre’ Morgan launched a three-run homer to make it 12-3.
Asheville plated three runs in the top of the seventh inning, while Bowling Green scored one more run in the bottom of the seventh, locking up a 13-6 win.
Murphy (1-1) earned the win, working through 4.0 innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out five. Jose Guedez (3-4) was given the loss, surrendering five runs (three earned) on two hits while walking three and striking out seven.
In game two, the Hot Rods opened the scoring in the top of the second against Tourists starter Alain Pena. Ledbetter led off with a single and Horvath doubled to put runners on first and third. Tatem Levins grounded out to short, scoring Ledbetter, giving Bowling Green a 1-0 lead. Brock Jones collected an RBI double and later scored on a throwing error from Asheville catcher Fernando Caldera, also allowing Noah Myers to reach base. Gregory Barrios doubled, driving in Myers, making it a 4-0 Bowling Green lead.
The Tourists battled back with a run in the bottom of the third against Hot Rods starter Owen Wild. Jackson Loftin reached on a throwing error by Wild and advanced to second on a single from Caldera. Luis Encarnacion singled to left, scoring Loftin, making it a 4-1 Hot Rods lead.
Another run came around to score for the Hot Rods in the bottom sixth. Levins reached on a fielder’s choice with two outs and advanced to second on a Brock Jones single. A double steal brought Levins home to score, making it 5-1. Bowling Green plated their final run in the top of the seventh on a Morgan RBI single, eventually ending the game in a 6-1 Hot Rods win.
Wild (6-1) earned the win, tossing 5.1 innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits while walking one and striking out eight. Pena (0-2) was given the loss, hurling 4.0 innings, surrendering four runs (two earned) with six strikeouts.
The Hot Rods and Tourists play the second game of a six-game series on Wednesday at 5:35 PM CT at McCormick Field in Asheville, North Carolina. Bowling Green will send out RHP Marcus Johnson (0-0, 0.00) against Asheville RHP Manuel Urias (2-9, 7.21).
Fans can catch all the action by watching on MiLB.tv, listening through the MiLB First Pitch App and BGHotRods.com. Fans can also secure their seats for future home Hot Rods games by calling (270) 901-2121, visiting the Bowling Green Ballpark box office during normal business hours, or going to www.bghotrods.com.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
