Late Offense Carries Bowling Green to Comfortable Win 

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The Spartanburgers got off to an early lead on Saturday evening. Keith Jones II blasted a first pitch home run to put Hub City (0-2, 31-36) in front. Bowling Green (2-0, 36-30) responded with seven unanswered runs to take game four 7-1.

Hub City lefty starter Mason Molina provided four innings of one-run baseball in his High-A debut. Bowling Green starter T.J. Nichols (W, 7-2) tossed a quality start on the other side. Nichols struck out nine batters across six innings of work.

The only run that Nichols allowed was on the first pitch, a homer from Jones to open the game. Jones reached double-digit home runs with his second long ball in as many days.

The Hot Rods responded in the bottom of the first. Adrian Santana led the inning off with a single. Mac Horvath walked with one out. On a double steal, one of four errors from the Spartanburgers on the night brought in the tying run.

Nichols and Molina followed up with three scoreless innings, sending the game to the fifth. Josh Mollerus (L, 6-2) relieved Molina of his duties. Emilien Pitre hit a ground-rule double and reached third on a wild pitch with two outs. A throwing error extended the inning and gave Bowling Green the lead.

Mollerus followed it up with a scoreless sixth inning while Nichols finished off his evening with two more scoreless frames in the fifth and sixth.

Insurance came in a big way for the Hot Rods in the seventh. Seth Clark replaced Mollerus and walked all five batters he faced. Wilian Bormie entered from the bullpen; two more runs came in to score on an infield single and a walk with the bases loaded. Bowling Green took a 6-1 lead through seven innings.

The Hot Rods added one more run in the eighth. Despite four hits in the final three innings, Hub City failed to score after the first inning home run from Jones.

The Spartanburgers and Hot Rods finish off the series on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET. Right-handers Jose Gonzalez (1-6, 3.30 ERA) and Marcus Johnson (3-5, 4.70 ERA) are the scheduled starters for the regular-season finale between the two teams.

About the Hub City Spartanburgers

The Hub City Spartanburgers are in their inaugural season as the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. For more information on the Spartanburgers, visit milb.com/hub-city. For information about tickets to any of Hub City’s 66 home games, call 864-658-4206 or email: tickets@hcspartanburgers.com For media inquiries, email: iunsworth@hcspartanburgers.com. Follow along with the Spartanburgers on social media.