The Bowling Green Hot Rods kept the momentum going with a 7-5 win over Peoria (Ill.) on Monday at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Returning home after a 6-0 road trip, Bowling Green (19-11) overcame two early deficits to win a ninth straight game – equaling a franchise record set on four previous occasions.

The win streak has allowed the Hot Rods to surge to the top of the Midwest League Eastern Division standings.

“The boys are playing really well,” Hot Rods manager Craig Albernaz said. “The pitching is the key. We are getting great starts. We are getting deep into games. The bullpen is coming in, throwing strikes. There is not much more you can ask for.

“Offensively, the guys are swinging the bats. They are great at-bats – good situational hitting, moving the runners over, driving them in with the infield back. It’s the little things like that. They are doing really well.”

Peoria (13-15) wasted no time getting to BG starting pitcher Drew Strotman, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning, but the Hot Rods answered with an RBI single from Zac Law and a sacrifice fly by Ronaldo Hernandez to tie the score in the bottom of the inning.

The Chiefs used three straight two-out hits in the second to regain a 4-2 edge, but once again Bowling Green was able to answer.

Moises Gomez’s sac fly RBI in the bottom of the third trimmed the deficit to one. One inning later, Bowling Green scored three to surge ahead 6-4 – with Zach Rutherford’s RBI single and Hernandez’s RBI double the big hits in the rally.

Strotman settled in from there. The right-hander allowed two base runners over his final four innings of work to earn the win and improve to 2-0 on the season. Strotman allowed a career-high four runs in six innings, but also equaled a career high with nine strikeouts.

“It was almost like he was feeling too good,” Albernaz said. “The fastball had a lot of life – it had a lot of life in his last start in Clinton. As the game unfolded he found his breaking ball and was spinning it well in the zone, which is huge for him because once he spins that breaking ball in the zone he can attack with the fastball.”

Hernandez capped Bowling Green’s scoring with his second sacrifice fly of the night in the seventh to push the margin to three runs, but Peoria mounted one more threat in the ninth off Ivan Pelaez.

Pelaez, making his Hot Rods debut after being added from High A Port Charlotte (Fla.), allowed the first four runners to reach – hitting Edwin Figuera with the bases loaded to force in a run.

The threat would end there as Pelaez struck out Scott Hurst before getting Irving Lopez to hit into a game-ending double play.

“Ivan was with me at Hudson Valley at the end of last year for the playoff run,” Albernaz said. “I know what he can do. He has no fear when he is on the mound. He does not get flustered. He just goes after the hitters. It was just that in the ninth inning. It ended up being a high-leverage situation in the ninth inning and he just battled.”

Peoria outhit Bowling Green 10-7, but committed five errors that led to four unearned runs.

Rutherford, Law and Taylor Walls finished with two hits each for the Hot Rods.

“Guys are loving playing together,” Rutherford said. “The confidence is high right now. (We are) feeling good.”

MISTAKE FREE

The Hot Rods did not commit an error for the first time since April 21, snapping a string of 14 straight games with at least one error.

ROSTER MOVE

To make room for Pelaez, catcher Mac Seibert was transferred back to extended spring training.

UP NEXT

The series continues at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday.

Right-hander Tobias Myers (2-2, 4.91) is scheduled to start for the Hot Rods. Myers allowed four runs – three earned – and eight hits in five innings of work to earn the win at Clinton (Iowa) on Wednesday.

Right-hander Evan Guillory (3-1, 2.67) is scheduled to start for Peoria. Guillory is 3-0 in his last three starts, allowing five earned runs and 18 hits with 15 strikeouts in 20 innings of work.