Bowling Green Hot Rods left fielder Brock Jones (7) runs the bases after hitting a home run in the Hot Rods’ 7-5 win over the Winston-Salem Dash at the Bowling Green Ballpark on Tuesday evening, July 23, 2024. Hot Rods take opener of six-game series with Winston-Salem to improve to 14-3 in series openers this season. (Grace Ramey McDowell/grace.ramey@bgdailynews.com)

Brock Jones clobbered his 17th home run of the season in the Bowling Green Hot Rods’ 8-1 victory over the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Tuesday at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Greensboro (62-46 overall, 23-20 second half) began the scoring in the top of the second inning against Bowling Green starter Marcus Johnson. Lonnie White Jr. walked and moved to third on a base hit from Hudson Head. Shawn Ross flew out to center, allowing White Jr. to score and make it 1-0.

The Hot Rods (63-44, 27-14) responded off Grasshoppers starter Derek Diamond in the bottom of the second. Mac Horvath walked and stole second to put a runner in scoring position. Jones ripped a base hit to right, scoring Horvath to tie the game, 1-1. Noah Meyers lifted a two-run homer over the right center field wall to put Bowling Green up 3-1.

In the bottom of the third, Bowling Green extended the lead against Diamond. Homer Bush Jr. and Tre’ Morgan hit back-to-back singles to put runners on first and third. Colton Ledbetter plated Bush on a sacrifice fly to center, making it a 4-1 ballgame.

Jones blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth to increase the lead to 6-1.

Bowling Green poured it on against Greensboro reliever Alessandro Ercolani in the bottom of the seventh. Morgan drove in Bush on an RBI single and came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Horvath, putting the Hot Rods up 8-1.

Jackson Baumeister tossed a scoreless ninth inning, finalizing the Hot Rods’ 8-1 win.

T.J. Fondtain (4-2) earned the win, striking out two and walking one over 1 2/3 scoreless frames. Diamond (5-5) took the loss, allowing six runs on six hits, two walks and four strikeouts over four innings. Baumeister notched his first save, striking out five and allowing a hit over four scoreless innings.

Bowling Green and Greensboro play game two of a six-game series on Wednesday with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. The Hot Rods start right-hander Dylan Lesko (2-10, 6.28), while the Grasshoppers starter has not been announced.