Drive drop fourth straight; bats remain cooled by Hot Rods’ staff in 5-1 loss

The Bowling Green Hot Rods (3-2) continued to make life at the plate difficult for the Greenville Drive (1-4) on Wednesday, holding the Drive to just three hits as Greenville dropped their fourth straight game since an Opening Day victory back on April 5.

After a slow start the previous night, fortunes seemed to be turning for Greenville. The Drive struck first in the second inning as a two-out triple from Juan Chacon set up Caden Rose, whose bouncing grounder resulted in a throwing error, allowing Chacon to score for the 1-0 lead.

But as with previous nights this season, the Drive’s lead quickly evaporated — this time taking starter David Sandlin as the victim in his Drive debut.

With two on and no outs, Endorso Lira’s throwing error on a double steal allowed Chandler Simpson to knot the game at one apiece. An RBI single from Brayden Taylor and a two-run homer from Xavier Isaac made it 4-1 Bowling Green in a blink. After picking up two strikeouts to quell the momentum, a walk would end Sandlin’s night. He’d exit allowing four runs, two walks while picking up five strikeouts.

Simpson would again leave his mark on the game in the fourth, slashing a line drive single to left field off reliever Reidis Sena to score Brock Jones and boost the Hot Rods’ lead to 5-1. Simpson’s hit would effectively be the final action of the night as a Chacon walk in the bottom of the fourth would represent the final base runner of the evening for either squad.

Sena stretched his outing 2.1 innings allowing just two hits and two walks while ringing up four. Drive reliever Jonathan Brand continued his early dominating ways, pitching three perfect relief innings that included three strikeouts. Cade Feeney backed up Brand’s success with a perfect relief inning as well that included a lone strikeout.

Bowling Green starter Roel Garcia III worked just two innings, allowing two of the Drive’s three hits before Jonny Cuevas put the clamps on the Drive in his four innings of work, giving up a lone hit and a singular walk paired with four strikeouts. Cuevas, reliever Drew Sommers, and reliever Jeff Hakanson would combine for nine strikeouts as they carried the Hot Rods home for the 5-1 victory.

The Drive return to action for game three of the six-game series on April 11 at 7:05 p.m. The Hot Rods currently lead the series 2-0.