Dominic Keegan smacked his second home run of the game in the top of the ninth inning, but the Bowling Green Hot Rods fell short of a comeback in a 5-4 loss to the Hudson Valley Renegades at Heritage Financial Park on Saturday night in Wappingers Falls, N.Y.

Hudson Valley (48-35 overall, 9-8 second half) began the scoring in the top of the second off Bowling Green starter Duncan Davitt. Alexander Vargas and Antonio Gomez notched back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second. Aldenis Sanchez singled to left, plating Vargas to make it a 1-0 ballgame. Gomez scored on an RBI base hit by Spencer Jones to put the Renegades up 2-0. Ben Cowles smacked a base hit to right, driving in Sanchez to increase the lead to 3-0.

Bowling Green (42-36, 11-6) earned its first run of the game in the top of the third off Hudson Valley starter Drew Thorpe. Dru Baker led off with a single and came around to score on an RBI double by Carson Williams to make it 3-1.

In the top of the fourth, Baker sent a solo blast over the left-field wall to move the score to 4-2. Keegan smacked a solo home run to center, cutting the deficit to 4-3. 

After the Renegades plated another run in the bottom of the seventh off Hot Rods reliever Kyle Whitten, Keegan launched a solo homer off Hudson Valley reliever Jack Neely in the top of the ninth. Bowling Green was unable to score the rest of the inning, losing by a score of 5-4.

Thorpe (9-1) earned the win, allowing three runs on six hits, two walks and tallying 10 strikeouts over seven frames. Davitt (1-1) took the loss, allowing four runs on nine hits and two strikeouts over three innings.

The Hot Rods and the Renegades play the finale of their three-game series on Sunday with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m. CT. Bowling Green is rolling out right-hander Ben Peoples (3-5, 3.94), while Hudson Valley is starting righty Juan Carela (2-3, 3.99).