Bowling Green Hot Rods designated hitter Tre’ Morgan (25) bats in the Hot Rods’ 3-2 win over the Emperors at the Bowling Green Ballpark on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. (Grace Ramey McDowell/grace.ramey@bgdailynews.com)

Tre’ Morgan tallied three hits, including a two-RBI triple to help push the Bowling Green Hot Rods to a 9-2 win over the Hickory Crawdads on Saturday at L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina.

Hickory (29-39 overall, 1-1 second half) scored in the bottom of the first inning with Bowling Green Starter Yoniel Curet on the mound. Cam Cauley singled and stole second base, putting a runner in scoring position. Luis Mieses singled, scoring Cauley from second to give the Crawdads a 1-0 lead.

Bowling Green (37-31, 1-1) responded in the top of the fifth facing Hickory starter Winston Santos. Ricardo Genoves and Ryan Spikes singled, while Brayden Taylor walked to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed Genoves to score and tie the game 1-1. After Morgan reached on a fielder’s choice, Cooper Kinney plated Taylor and Morgan on a double to make it 3-1. Colton Ledbetter smashed a base hit to right, scoring Kinney to increase the lead, 4-1.

The Hot Rods scored again in the top of the seventh against Hickory reliever Luis Ramirez. Angel Galarraga and Taylor walked to put runners on first and second. Morgan tripled, scoring Galarraga and Taylor to move the score, 6-1. Kinney singled to plate Morgan from third and put Bowling Green up 7-1.

After the Crawdads scored a run against Hot Rods reliever Jonny Cuevas in the bottom of the seventh, Bowling Green answered back off Hickory reliever D.J. Peters in the top of the ninth. The Hot Rods went up 9-2, thanks to an RBI single from Hunter Haas and an RBI sacrifice fly by Spikes.

Bowling Green reliever Nate Dahle closed it down in the ninth, finalizing the score, 9-2.

Curet (3-7) notched the win, allowing a run on seven hits, two walks and four strikeouts over five innings. Santos (6-3) took the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits with a walk and a strikeout over five innings.

The Hot Rods and Crawdads play the finale of a six-game series on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m. CT. Bowling Green starts right-hander Owen Wild (2-0, 2.25), while Hickory rolls out righty Aidan Curry (0-6, 8.58).