The third time was the charm for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, who took the finale at Dayton (Ohio) 8-7 on Sunday.

Bowling Green let two leads slip away before finally getting the game winner on an RBI single by Michael Russell in the seventh inning. With the win, the Hot Rods split the two-game series and improve to 3-1 on the season.

Bowling Green scored five runs in the third – including two-run singles from Peter Maris and Joe McCarthy – to build a 5-1 lead, before Dayton (1-3) scored two runs in the third and two in the fifth to tie the game up.

The Hot Rods went back in front with an RBI double from Russell and an RBI triple by Jacob Cronenworth in the sixth, but the Dragons got both runs back in the bottom of the inning.

Bowling Green added one more run in the seventh, and the bullpen made the lead stand up by allowing just one base runner over the final three innings.

Roel Ramirez earned the victory in relief, allowing two runs in 3 1/3 innings, while Ian Gibaut earned his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.

McCarthy and Angel Perez had three hits each for the Hot Rods, while Russell and Angel Moreno added two hits each. Bowling Green finished with a season-high 15 hits.

The Hot Rods will open a three-game series at South Bend (Ind.) at 6:05 CDT on Monday. Left-hander Genesis Cabrera will start for Bowling Green, with right-hander Adbert Alzolay scheduled to start for South Bend.