McGowan Powers Hot Rods Passed Braves in 9-5 Win 

Rome, Georgia– Jacson McGowan had two hits, including a homer, in the Bowling Green Hot Rods (37-20) 9-5 victory over the Rome Braves (31-26) at State Mutual Stadium in Rome, Georgia on Friday night. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday with a 4:00 PM CT first pitch.

Bowling Green took an early lead, plating three runs in the second against Rome starter AJ Puckett. Blake Hunt led off with a double to left-center and scored when Hill Alexander lined a double to left, giving the Hot Rods a 1-0 lead. McGowan drove his ninth home run of the year over the batter’s eye in center field to extend Bowling Green’s lead to 3-0.

Rome got all three runs back in the bottom of the second against Hot Rods starter Zack Trageton, but the Hot Rods took the lead back in the fourth. Grant Witherspoon singled to right but was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double, and Curtis Mead singled to center. Jordan Qsar tripled to the right-field corner, scoring Mead to put the Hot Rods back in front with a 4-3 edge.

Bowling Green chased Puckett from the game and took a four-run lead in the fourth. McGowan singled to center with one out and went to second when Osmy Gregorio singled to right. Both scored when Greg Jones tripled to right, extending the Hot Rods lead to 6-3. Jones scored after Zach Daniels relieved Puckett from the bullpen, crossing home plate when Witherspoon grounded out to second while extending the advantage to 7-3.

Bowling Green tacked on another run in the fifth when Erik Ostberg scored on Alexander’s double to left, giving the Hot Rods an 8-3 lead. The Braves added a run in the eighth, but Bowling Green answered with an RBI double off the bat of Hunt in the ninth to take a 9-4 lead. Rome scratched another run across in the bottom of the ninth, but the Hot Rods went on to win 9-5.

Trageton lasted 4.0 innings while allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits with three strikeouts in a no-decision. Carlos Garcia (5-1) allowed one run on two this with a walk and two strikeouts over 3.1 innings in a win. Justin Sterner hurled 1.2 innings while allowing one run on two hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

Notes: McGowan has a five-game hit streak… Four of those efforts a multi-hit games… Friday was also his eighth multi-hit effort of the season… He’s had seven multi-RBI games in 2021… Jones made his second appearance of the season batting in the lead-off spot… He had his eighth multi-hit game of the year too… Jones has five multi-RBI games in 2021… Alexander had his fifth multi-hit game of the season… He also has four multi-RBI games… Qsar had his 10th multi-hit games of the year… Witherspoon has seven multi-hit efforts… The Hot Rods and Braves play another doubleheader on Saturday with a 4:00 PM CT first pitch… The Hot Rods send RH Michael Mercado (0-4, 6.03) to the mound for game one while LH Joe La Sorsa (2-1, 3.96) will take the mound in game two… Fans can catch all of the action by watching on MiLB.tv or listening through the MiLB First Pitch app, tuning into WBGN 94.5 FM and 1340 AM, or visiting https://www.milb.com/bowling-green/fans/audio-listen-live.

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