Drive downs Hot Rods 5-4 in extra innings
Published 10:33 pm Thursday, May 18, 2023
JJ Goss tossed six solid innings on the mound and Bob Seymour hit a game-tying two RBI single in the seventh inning, but the Bowling Green Hot Rods fell to the Greenville Drive in the bottom of the 10th by a 5-4 score on Thursday at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.
The Hot Rods (18-16) plated the first run of the game off Drive starter Juan Daniel Encarnacion in the top of the first inning. Carson Williams singled to left and scored on a double from Willy Vasquez to put Bowling Green up 1-0.
Greenville (16-19) answered back in the bottom of the first against Goss. Max Ferguson and Brainer Bonaci led-off with back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second. Marcelo Mayer drove in Ferguson on an RBI single to right that tied the game at 1-all. Blaze Jordan vaulted the drive to a 2-1 lead, smacking a base hit to center that scored Bonaci from second.
After Mayer moved up to third on a fielder’s choice, he scored on a groundout off the bat of Eddinson Paulino to increase the Drive’s lead, 3-1.
Bowling Green tied the game off Greenville reliever Casey Cobb in the top of the seventh. Brock Jones singled, Williams was hit by a pitch and Junior Caminero reached on an error to load the bases. Seymour singled to right, scoring two runs to make it a 3-3 game.
In the top of the 10th, the Hot Rods took the lead against Drive reliever Joey Stock. With Caminero starting as the extra-innings runner, he was able to score on two wild pitches to put Bowling Green up 4-3.
Greenville scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning, walking-off on an RBI base hit by Mayer, to win by a score of 5-4.
Stock (1-1) collected the win, allowing one run and striking out two in one inning. Kyle Whitten (0-1) picked up the loss, going 1 2/3 frames while allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and two strikeouts.
Bowling Green and Greenville play game four of a six-game series on Friday with first pitch set for 6:05 p.m. CT. The Hot Rods are set to start right-hander Ben Peoples (0-2, 4.00), while the Drive bring out righty Isaac Coffey (1-2, 3.98).
