Jake Cronenworth didn’t waste any time getting right back in the mix for the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

Playing for the second time since returning from High A Port Charlotte to fill in for an injured Michael Russell, Cronenworth delivered the walk-off hit as Bowling Green rallied past Fort Wayne (Ind.) 6-5 in 11 innings on Sunday at Bowling Green Ballpark.

“It’s exciting,” Cronenworth said. “We didn’t make the playoffs down there, so I came back to play in the playoffs up here. We’ve been playing well and I see the team has been playing well. Hopefully we can carry that into the playoffs.”

Bowling Green (83-55 overall, 46-23 second half) overcame a grand slam in the seventh to pick up a third straight victory and secure the final series of the regular season.

Fort Wayne (62-77, 26-43)  got a run in the first before the Hot Rods answered with a three-run double from Brett Sullivan in the third inning.

It remained 3-1 until the seventh, when Carlos Belen connected for a grand slam off reliever Bryan Bonnell just over the glove of Zacrey Law’s leaping attempt at the wall in left center.

The Hot Rods answered with David Olmedo-Barrera’s two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the inning to tie the score 5-5.

That set the stage for Cronenworth’s 11th-inning heroics. Back-to-back walks to Peter Maris and Landon Cray put runners at first and second with one out and Cronenworth came through punching a 3-2 pitch into right field for the game winner.

“The guys keep playing well,” BG manager Reinaldo Ruiz said. “We just want to carry this momentum going into the playoffs. They’ve been battling the whole season and hopefully we can do well at the next level, which is the playoffs.”

Elias Torres earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Cronenworth finished with three hits, while Maris added two hits.

RECORD-SETTING WIN

Sunday’s 83rd win of the season gave the Hot Rods the franchise record for victories in a season, eclipsing the previous mark set in 2013.

“I didn’t know until this morning,” Ruiz said. “Somebody told me that if we win today we would have the franchise record. Credit to the players. They’ve done a really good job. The coaching staff did a really good job. Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going.”

POSTSEASON FOE

With a 1-0 walk-off win over West Michigan on Sunday, the Great Lakes (Mich.) Loons clinched the Midwest League Eastern division second-half wildcard and will now face Bowling Green in the opening round of the playoffs starting Wednesday in Great Lakes.

The three-game series will continue with Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) in Bowling Green on Thursday and Friday at 6:35 p.m.

Bowling Green won the season series 8-6, going 4-3 in Great Lakes and 4-3 at Bowling Green Ballpark.

UP NEXT

The Hot Rods close out the regular season hosting Fort Wayne at 12:05 p.m.

Right-hander Roel Ramirez (6-8, 4.88) is scheduled to start for Bowling Green. It’s Ramirez’s third start since rejoining the rotation on Aug. 21. He won the previous two starts, allowing three runs in 11 innings of work. Ramirez has started twice against the TinCaps this season, allowing one run in 12 innings of work.

Right-hander Cal Quantrill (0-0, 6.00) is scheduled to make his second start for Fort Wayne this season. Quantrill was a first-round pick in June by the San Diego Padres and the son of former major league pitcher Phil Quantrill.

— Follow Hot Rods reporter Micheal Compton on Twitter @mcompton428 or visit bgdailynews.com.