Hot Rods Drop Series Opener 6-3, Fall Short in Late Comeback
Rome, Georgia – Willy Vasquez collected two doubles while Jeffry Parra smacked a game-tying single in the bottom of the sixth for the Bowling Green Hot Rods (9-11), but the Rome Braves (9-12) launched homers in the sixth and the eighth to push them to a 6-3 win on Tuesday night at AdventHealth Stadium.
Rome started the scoring in the bottom of the first against Bowling Green starter Ben Peoples. Kevin Kilpatrick led off with a solo home run over the left field wall to put the Braves up 1-0. In the bottom of the second, Brandol Mezquita walked and moved up to second on a throwing error from Peoples. He scored on an RBI double off the bat of Kadon Morton to move the score to 2-0. Drake Baldwin plated Morton on a single to left that increased the lead to 3-0.
The Hot Rods notched their first runs of the game in the top of the sixth off Braves reliever Patrick Halligan. Bob Seymour singled and Vasquez doubled to put runners on second and third. Dru Baker reached second on errors from first baseman Bryson Horne and second baseman Geraldo Quintero. The errors also allowed Vasquez to go to third and Seymour to score, making it a 3-1 ballgame. Nick Schnell moved Baker to third and plated Vasquez on a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit at 3-2. Parra singled to right, scoring Baker and tying the game, 3-3.
The Braves answered back in the bottom of the sixth off Hot Rods reliever Aneudy Cortorreal. Mezquita worked a leadoff walk and scored on a two-run homer by Baldwin to put Rome up 5-3. In the bottom of the eighth, Kilpartick homered off Hot Rods reliever Kyle Whitten to increase the lead, 6-3. Bowling failed to score in the ninth, falling 6-3 to Rome.
Griswold (1-0) earned the win, allowing two hits over 1.2 scoreless frames. Cortorreal (0-1) picked up the loss, tossing 1.2 innings while letting up two runs on a hit, four walks, and a strikeout. Jonathan Hughes (1) notched four strikeouts in 2.0 scoreless innings to acquire the save.
The Hot Rods and the Braves play the second game of a six-game series on Wednesday with first pitch set for 6:00 PM CT. Bowling Green is starting Antonio Jimenez (0-1, 4.63), while the Braves send out J.J. Niekro (0-2, 3.24).
