Bowling Green Hot Rods outfielder Aidan Smith (23) bats during the Hot Rods 6-2 loss to Asheville on Sunday, May18, 2025 at Bowling Green Ballpark in Bowling Green, Ky. (Caleb Lowndes / Bowling Green Daily News)

Aidan Smith smashed two home runs and Ryan Spikes drove in five runs, leading the Bowling Green Hot Rods to a 13-4 win over the Asheville Tourists (5-4, 34-40) in South Atlantic League action Sunday at McCormick Field in Asheville, North Carolina.

Bowling Green (40-33 overall, 6-3 second half) broke onto the scoreboard in the top of the second inning against Asheville starting pitcher Derek True. Mac Horvath singled and Noah Myers walked, putting runners on first and second. Spikes blasted a three-run homer to left, putting the Hot Rods ahead, 3-0. One out later, Raudelis Martinez reached on a fielding error by Alejandro Nunez and Blake Robertson doubled, putting runners on second and third. Adrian Santana lifted a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 4-0.

The Hot Rods added more run support in the top of the third inning with True still on the mound. Horvath led off with a single and Spikes drove him in with a double, increasing the Hot Rods’ lead to 5-0. Spikes stole third and Martinez grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice, making it a 6-0 game.

Asheville came sprinting back, plating four runs between the bottom of the third and fourth innings. In the third, Crisitian Gonzalez had an RBI single and Joseph Sullivan clobbered a two-run homer, cutting into the Bowling Green lead to 6-3.

Brutcher collected a sacrifice fly in the fourth, trimming the lead down to 6-4.

In the top of the fifth, Daniel Vellojin cracked an RBI single, while Smith hit a solo homer in the sixth and Spikes had a sacrifice fly in the seventh, making it 9-4 in favor of Bowling Green.

The Hot Rods put the finishing touches on the blowout with a four-run top of the eighth, headlined by a three-run homer from Smith and a solo homer from Emilien Pitre in back-to-back fashion to set the final score.

Marcus Johnson (4-5) picked up the win, hurling six innings, allowing four runs on six hits, walking one and striking out seven batters. True (2-3) was given the loss, tossing 2 1/3 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits while walking two and striking out three.

The Hot Rods were off Monday and start a new series against the Rome Emperors at AdventHealth Stadium in Rome, Georgia on Tuesday with a 6:05 p.m. CT first pitch.