Bowling Green Hot Rods infielder Émilien Pitre (7) bats during the Hot Rods 3-2 win over the Rome Braves on Sunday, April 13, 2025 at Bowling Green Ballpark in Bowling Green, Ky. (Caleb Lowndes / Daily News)

Bowling Green’s Emilien Pitre and Tony Santa Maria both collected multi-hit games, but the offensive power wasn’t enough as the Hot Rods took a 15-4 loss to the Hub City Spartanburgers on Saturday at Fifth Third Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The Spartanburgers (8-6) started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning against Hot Rods starter Santiago Suarez. Dylan Dreiling led off with a single and Casey Cook walked. Arturo Disla walked to load the bases, and Julian Brock lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Dreiling, making it a 1-0 lead for Hub City.

Bowling Green (7-7) fought back in the top of the third against Hub City starter DJ McCarty. With one out, Pitre singled and Aidan Smith walked. Santa Maria plated Pitre with a base hit, and a passed ball allowed Smith to score. Hunter Haas tagged on the final run of the inning with an RBI double, scoring Santa Maria, bringing the Hot Rods’ advantage to 3-1.

Hub City responded in the bottom of the third with Suarez still on the mound. With two outs, Disla reached on an error from Haas. Keith Jones singled, and Brock tied the game with a two-run double. Danyer Cueva followed with another double, and Quincy Scott blasted a two-run homer, handing the Spartanburgers a 6-3 lead.

Four more runs came around to score for Hub City in the bottom of the sixth against Bowling Green reliever Dylan Lesko. The Spartanburgers worked four walks and were hit by a pitch during the inning, while Theo Hardy and Casey Cook collected RBI base hits, making it a 10-3 Spartanburgers lead.

Hub City added five more runs in the bottom of the seventh, headlined by a three-run Disla homer, making it 15-3.

The Hot Rods plated their final run in the top of the eighth inning against Spartanburgers reliever Victor Simeon. Santa Maria led off with a double, advanced to third on a dropped third strike, and scored on a wild pitch, scoring the final run of the game in a 15-4 Hub City win.

Hub City’s Larson Kindreich (1-0) picked up his first win of the season, tossing two scoreless innings in relief, walked two and striking out one. Suarez (0-1) was given the loss, allowing six runs (one earned) on six hits, walking two and striking out six over five innings. Simeon earned his first save of the year, pitching the final three innings for the Spartanburgers, allowing one run on two hits, walking two and striking out six.

The Hot Rods and Spartanburgers will play the finale of a six-game series on Sunday with a 1:05 p.m. CT first pitch. Bowling Green will send out right-hander TJ Nichols (0-1, 6.00) against Hub City righty Jose Gonzalez (0-0, 0.00).