The Bowling Green Hot Rods won their ninth game in a row, beating the Lake County Captains 5-2 Friday at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio.

The Captains had five base hits in the game, including two solo home runs, but right-handed pitcher Tommy Romero picked up his sixth win of the season, and third with the Hot Rods.

In the bottom of the third inning, Ulysses Cantu hit a solo home run to left field, making it 1-0 Captains.

Bowling Green didn’t wait long to respond, putting up three runs in the fourth. Vidal Brujan, Moises Gomez and Ronaldo Hernandez each had hits in the inning, and Carl Chester added a sacrifice fly RBI to center as the Hot Rods took a 3-1 lead.

Lake County closed to within one with a solo home run from Nolan Jones in the bottom of the sixth, but the Hot Rods answered in the top of the seventh when Chester, Adrian Rondon and Mac Seibert each hit doubles as Bowling Green took a 5-2 lead.

Bowling Green’s Orlando Romero earned his first save of the season.

The Hot Rods earned their 45th win of the first half, which sets a new franchise record for wins in any half, eclipsing the 44 wins the 2016 team claimed in the second half.

Bowling Green’s ninth win in a row is also one shy of a season (and franchise) long 10-game run that occurred from April 28-May 8 earlier this season.

On Saturday, the Hot Rods will start righty Tobias Myers (7-3, 5.01) for a 6 p.m. CDT first pitch at Classic Park. The Captains are slated to start RHP Gregori Vasquez (2-2, 3.76).