Parra and Caminero Homer, Hot Rods Top Tourists 4-1

Bowling Green, Kentucky – Jeffry Parra hit a solo home run in the fourth and Junior Caminero followed with a two-run homer to vault the Bowling Green Hot Rods (8-9) past the Asheville Tourists (7-10), 4-1, on Friday night at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Asheville began the scoring in the first inning off Bowling Green starter Keyshawn Askew. Jacob Melton singled, stole second, and moved up to third on a wild pitch. Zach Dezenzo plated Melton on a sacrifice fly to right, putting the Tourists up 1-0.

The Hot Rods tied it up in the bottom of the fourth against Tourists starter Alex Santos. Willy Vasquez hit a ground ball to shortstop and moved up to third on two throwing errors during the play. He scored on an RBI single by Dru Baker that tied the game, 1-1.

Parra gave the Hot Rods the lead in the bottom of the fifth on a solo homer off Asheville reliever Bryant Salgado. Carson Williams walked and scored on a two-run homer by Caminero to increase the Hot Rods lead to 4-1. Antonio Jimenez shutdown the Tourists over the next four innings, leading Bowling Green to a 4-1 win.

Askew (1-2) earned the victory, striking out eight while allowing a run on one hit with a walk. Salgado (0-1) took the loss, letting up three runs on two hits with two strikeouts and two walks in 1.1 frames. Jimenez (1) picked up the save, striking out five while allowing two hits and two walks in 4.0 scoreless innings.

The Hot Rods and the Tourists play a doubleheader Saturday with the first game set for 5:35 PM CT and the second game beginning approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first. Bowling Green is set to start LHP Patrick Wicklander in game one and RHP Roel Garcia in game two, while Hickory sends out RHP Edinson Batista for game one and LHP Brayan De Paula for game two.