The Bowling Green Hot Rods fell to the Rome Braves to force a tie atop the High-A East South Division standings after a 6-1 loss Friday night at State Mutual Stadium in Rome, Ga.

The two teams will play the penultimate game of the series on Saturday with a 6 p.m. first pitch.

The Braves (10-6) scored in the bottom of the first inning off Hot Rods starter Michael Mercado. Riley Delgado singled with one out and scored on a Michael Harris double, giving the Braves an early 1-0 edge. The Braves plated another in the fifth to extend their lead to 2-0, while the Hot Rods’ bats were held to three hits over those five frames.

Bowling Green reliever Michael Costanzo entered the game and surrendered singles to Logan Brown and Jesse Franklin to lead off the inning. With two outs, Brett Langhorne hit a fly ball to center field where Hot Rods center fielder Grant Witherspoon missed the catch for an error, scoring two. Langhorne came around to score on Kevin Josephina’s RBI single, handing Rome a 5-0 lead.

The Hot Rods (10-6) drove in their lone run of the game in the top of the seventh after Jonathan Aranda led off with a double. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and after Rome called on reliever Davis Schwab, Jordan Qsar brought home Aranda with a grounder to first base, cutting Bowling Green’s deficit to 5-1. Rome tacked on a sixth run in the eighth and went on to win 6-1.

Mercado (0-2) threw fiveinnings, allowing two runs on four hits with a walk and five strikeouts. Costanzo allowed four runs, one earned, on four hits and walk. Ezequiel Zabaleta pitched a perfect one inning with two strikeouts.

On Saturday, Bowling Green will start right-hander Peyton Battenfield (1-0, 0.00) against righty Tanner Gordon (0-0, 2.79).