Dru Baker homered in the fifth and tied the game on an RBI single in the top of the ninth inning, but the Bowling Green Hot Rods surrendered a walk-off homer in the bottom half, losing 3-2 to the Winston-Salem Dash on Wednesday at Truist Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Winston-Salem’s Jacob Burke smacked a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth off Hot Rods starting pitcher Duncan Davitt to make it a 1-0 game.

Bowling Green (49-44 overall, 18-14 second half) tied it in the top of the fifth off Winston-Salem (46-48, 12-19) starter Tyler Schweitzer. Baker launched a solo homer over the left-field wall to tie it at 1-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, Michael Turner doubled and Colby Smelley singled to put runners on first and third. Andy Atwood hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Turner to put the Dash up 2-1. 

In the top of the ninth, the Hot Rods answered back with a run against Dash reliever Jordan Mikel. Carson Williams singled and Dominic Keegan walked to put runners on first and second. Baker singled to right, scoring Williams to make it a 2-2 game.

D.J. Gladney homered off Bowling Green reliever Nate Dahle in the bottom of the ninth to end the game, 3-2.

Eric Alder (1-0) earned the win, letting up a hit and recording a strikeout over a third of an inning. Dahle (0-1) took the loss, allowing a run on a hit, a walk and a strikeout over 1 1/3 innings.

The Hot Rods and the Dash play game three of a six-game series on Thursday with first pitch set for 6 p.m. CT. Bowling Green is set to start right-hander Ben Peoples (3-5, 4.24), while Winston-Salem starts righty Connor McCullough (3-2, 5.06).