Ryan proves too much for Captains

(Bowling Green, KY) - Bowling Green Hot Rods (7-7) right-hander Joe Ryan carved up the Lake County Captains (8-5) on Wednesday, tying a Hot Rods strikeout record and helping Bowling Green win the rubber game at Bowling Green Ballpark, 10-4.

Ryan (1-1) struck out 12 Captains across five innings, becoming the fifth Hot Rods hurler to accomplish the feat. Bowling Green's starter struck out the side twice, in the second and the fifth, and retired two men on strikes in his other three innings on the mound. He also only allowed one run on one hit and walked three, en route to his first win of the year.
The Hot Rods supported Ryan with a couple of long balls early. With two outs and nobody aboard in the second, Roberto Alvarez homered to left. Will Benson tied the game with an RBI single in the top of the third, but the Hot Rods responded in the bottom of the inning. Captains starter Juan Mota issued a one-out walk to Bryce Brown and hit Connor Hollis with two outs. Chris Betts then laced a line drive home run over the right-centerfield fence to put Bowling Green back in front, 4-1.
Bowling Green scored for five innings in a row from the second through the sixth. Brown drove in Osmy Gregorio with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and Kaleo Johnson doubled home Betts in the fifth. In the sixth, with Thomas Ponticelli on the mound for Lake County, Jake Palomaki singled in Gregorio and scored on a sacrifice fly to push the Hot Rods' lead to 8-1.
The Captains cut into the seven-run deficit in the eighth with a pair of doubles. Benson and Ruben Cardenas cracked back-to-back RBI doubles. Benson's two-base hit scored Tyler Freeman and Cardenas brought home Benson to trim the Hot Rods' lead to 8-3. Bowling Green then scored two in their half of the inning on a single by Brown and another sacrifice fly by Franco to make it 10-3. Mitch Reeves provided the game's final run with a solo homer in the ninth for Lake County.
Mota (0-2) took the loss for Lake County. The right-hander surrendered six runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out five, walked four and hit one batter.
The Captains will head back home to start a six-game homestand, beginning with a three-game series against the South Bend Cubs that begins on Friday night. First pitch at Classic Park is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Information about Classic Park or the Captains can be found online at www.captainsbaseball.com and by phone at 440-954-<st1:stockticker w:st="on">WINS (9467). Affordable ticket packages and group party and picnic options are available now.