Hot Rods edge Rome in playoff opener

Published 11:41 pm Tuesday, September 10, 2024

A fresh start was all the Bowling Green Hot Rods needed to get back on track.

Bowling Green opened the postseason with a 3-1 win over Rome in Game 1 of the opening round of the South Atlantic League Playoffs best-of-three series on Tuesday at Bowling Green Ballpark.

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Entering the game on a season-high five game losing streak, Bowling Green was able to use strong pitching and timely offense to get the victory and move one step closer in its quest for a third championship in four seasons.

“Game one is very important,” BG manager Rafael Valenzuela said. “The offense – we went through it last week, but that was last week. They came in and they knew what was at stake. I thought we had some really good at-bats. We ran up their pitch counts, so overall I am very happy.”

He added he was happy with how his team turned the page and put a tough road trip to Greensboro behind them.

“The only message I told the guys (before the game) was that a lot of guys go through their whole career in baseball and not play in the playoffs,” Valenzuela said. “Whatever happens, enjoy it. Slow the game down and take it pitch by pitch. The one thing you can’t do is try to do too much. I think the guys did a good job of doing that.”

Rome got off to a hot start, with three straight singles to open the game – the third an RBI hit by Drew Compton that gave the Emperors a 1-0 lead. BG starting pitcher Chandler Murphy was able to work out of trouble from there, scattering seven hits in five innings – striking out three and walking two.

“That was phenomenal by Murphy,” Valenzuela said. “I don’t think he had his best stuff tonight, but he battled the whole night.”

Bowling Green tied the score on a solo homer from Tatem Levins to open the third and it remained tied 1-1 until the seventh. Mac Horvath opened the inning with a double – his second of the night. A sacrifice bunt by Brock Jones moved Horvath to third, setting up a sacrifice fly by Noah Myers that pushed the Hot Rods in front 2-1.

“That is playoff baseball,” Valenzuela said. “You have to be able to execute when it matters and I thought we did a phenomenal job of that.”

Bowling Green added some insurance in the eighth on an RBI double by Colton Ledbetter, and Drew Sommers closed it out with a perfect ninth to give the Hot Rods the upper hand in the three-game series.

“It’s always good to get the first win in the playoffs,” Horvath said. “Last week we lost a couple of games, but the playoffs are a brand-new season, a fresh slate. To get that first one out of the way is big.”

Bowling Green finished with eight hits from seven different players, with Horvath the only Hot Rod to record a multi-hit game. Ty Johnson tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win.

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The series is scheduled to continue at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Right-hander Jackson Baumeister (3-3, 2.53) is scheduled to start for the Hot Rods. Rome has not announced a starter yet.

“Now we have to go on the road,” Valenzuela said. “It’s a very tough Rome team. They have some good pitchers out of the pen, but I think we will be OK.”

If the Hot Rods win the series, the best-of-three championship is tentatively scheduled to begin at Bowling Green Ballpark on Sunday at a time to be determined.