Late home runs by Nate Soria and Luis Leon helped boost the Bowling Green Hot Rods in holding off the Greenville Drive (15-29, 41-69) in a 12-10 win in front of a sellout crowd at Bowling Green Ballpark on Friday.

The Hot Rods and Drive will continue their six-game series on Saturday with a 6:35 PM CT first pitch.

Mason Auer led off the game with a double and scored on Alexander Ovalles’ RBI double to give BG (68-42 overall, 27-18 second half) a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Soria led off the second inning with a double and came around to score on a single by Tyler Frank. Frank stole second base, advanced to third when Auer was hit by Greenville’s starter Wikelman Gonzalez and scored on a wild pitch to extend BG’s lead to 3-0.

Greenville (41-69, 15-29) took the lead in the sixth after scoring five runs in the top half of the frame.

BG responded with a two-run home run by Soria off of Joey Stock to tie the game at five in the home half. Maceo Campbell proceeded to walk the bases loaded and Ovalles tied the game with a two-out walk. Abiezel Ramirez walked to push home the go-ahead run in the very next at-bat and the Hot Rods took a 6-5 lead. Matthew Dyer added two more on a single to make it 9-5 and a wild pitch by Campbell plated Ramirez to make it 10-5.

BG and Greenville kept trading runs, with Leon responding to a Greenville solo homer in the seventh with a solo home run of his own. Johan Lopez added a run on a fielder’s choice to make it 12-6. Greenville added two more runs in the eighth and another two in the ninth to cut BG’s lead to 12-10. The Drive loaded the bases with two outs, but Nomar Rojas struck out Nick Decker on three pitches to seal the win.

Hot Rods starting pitcher Logan Workman tossed five shutout innings, allowing three hits, one walk, and striking out two in a no-decision. Neraldo Catalina allowed five runs one hit with three walks in 0.1 innings. Kyle Whitten (3-2) earned the win in 1.2 innings of work, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Graeme Stinson allowed four runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout in 1.1 innings. Rojas earned his third save of the year in 0.2 innings with a walk and a strikeout.

Bowling Green and Greenville will continue their series on Saturday at Bowling Green Ballpark, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. Left-hander Ben Brecht (2-1, 2.08) will start for the Hot Rods against Drive righty Tyler Uberstine (1-1, 2.45).