Rome limits BG’s offense for second straight night

Published 10:30 am Friday, April 11, 2025

By Micheal Compton

The Bowling Green Hot Rods dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season, falling 9-3 to the Rome Emperors on Thursday at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Bowling Green (3-3) was limited offensively for the second straight night and the Emperors were able to pull away late to take two of the first three in the six-game series.

Bowling Green starter Marcus Johnson was touched up for a second straight game. After allowing four runs and five hits in four innings opening night at Greenville, Johnson surrendered four runs and eight hits with six strikeouts in five innings on Thursday.

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Rome (3-3) got the scoring started with a solo shot to right-center by Justin Janas in the top of the second inning. After BG missed a chance to tie with Noah Myers doubled off at third on a line drive by Hunter Haas to end the fourth, the Emperors expanded the lead with three runs in the fifth.

Bryan Horne extended the margin to 2-0 with an RBI single and came around to score on Stephen Paolini’s two-run homer that doubled the lead.

Rome starter Jon Ritchie kept the Hot Rods’ bats in check, tossing 5⅔ scoreless innings. The No. 7 prospect in the Atlanta Braves system according to MLB Pipeline allowed three hits and three walks while striking out four on 82 pitches — 46 for strikes.

Bowling Green’s offense finally broke through off reliever Tyler LaPorte in the seventh with a pair of solo shots. Jhon Diaz connected on his first homer with a solo shot to right. Two batters later, Raudelis Martinez hit his first homer of the season to make the score 4-2.

The Hot Rods were unable to get any closer, with Rome adding three runs in the eighth off reliever Derrick Edington and two more in the ninth off reliever Hayden Snelsire.

Janas made the score 5-2 with an RBI single in the eighth and Will Verdung added a two-run single through a drawn in infield to extend the advantage to 7-2.

Verdung struck again with an RBI single in the ninth, with Bryson Horne capping the scoring with a sacrifice fly.

The Emperors finished with 15 hits. Rome was 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position, stranding nine runners. Ambioris Tavarez finished with four hits and two runs scored, while Verdung added three hits.

Bowling Green was held to six hits for a second straight night and has scored five runs in the last two games after scoring 10 in each of the previous two games. Six Hot Rods had one hit, with no BG batter recording a multi-hit game. The Hot Rods were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, stranding six baserunners.

After allowing a run in one inning in his season debut, Jackson Lancaster tossed two scoreless innings allowing one hit on Thursday — the only BG pitcher to not allow a run.

The series was scheduled to continue at 6:35 p.m. on Friday. Right-hander Garrett Edwards (1-0, 3.60) was scheduled to start for the Hot Rods, with right-hander Garrett Baumann (0-1, 18.90) the scheduled starter for the Emperors.

The series is scheduled to conclude with a pair of day games on Saturday and Sunday. First pitch for Saturday is scheduled for 2:05 p.m., with first pitch for Sunday scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.

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