BG's Offense Busts Out In 11-10 Sweep-Clinching Victory

Bowling Green, Ky. - Bowling Green's offense erupted for a nine-run fifth inning, but Burlington rallied in the later innings only to fall a run short for the third consecutive game in an 11-10 Hot Rods win in front of 2,279 fans at Bowling Green Ballpark on Thursday night.

In the victory, Bowling Green (23-23, 60-56) scored its most runs in a single inning since scoring 11 runs in the top of the first inning on June 26, 2013 at South Bend and won its third straight game decided by one run - marking the first time in franchise history the feat has been accomplished. Burlington (16-30, 51-64) has dropped 11 of its last 16 games.

Down 3-0 entering the bottom of the fifth, Hunter Lockwood led off the inning with a double down the left-field line and scored on a Bralin Jackson RBI triple to give the Hot Rods their first run of the game at 3-1. Nick Ciuffo singled Jackson home, bringing the Hot Rods within 3-2, while a Mac James walk and Cade Gotta's first single as a Hot Rod loaded the bases for Riley Unroe, who took the first pitch of which got away from Wade Wass to allow Ciuffo to score and tie the game at 3-3.

Unroe then singled home James to give the Hot Rods their first lead of the game at 4-3, while Alec Sole and Grant Kay followed with consecutive RBI singles to score Gotta and Unroe, giving the Hot Rods a 7-3 lead. Jackson knocked his second hit of the inning with a two-RBI single into right field to score Sole and Kay, making for an 8-3 game, and Jackson scored his second run of the inning on Ciuffo's second RBI single of the frame, making it 9-3.

Burlington did not go away quietly however, scoring four runs in the top of the seventh inning against Bowling Green reliever Ryan Pennell, highlighted by a two-run single from Tim Arakawa and a Steven Mateo groundout to pull within 9-7.

In the bottom half of the seventh against Burlington relievers Austin Young and Gaither Bumgardner, Bowling Green added two insurance runs, when Jackson reached on a fielder's choice to third baseman Zach Houchins with two runners on, allowing Sole to score on a missed catch by Wass on the throw home and a Ciuffo sacrifice fly to left field to score Kay, giving the Hot Rods an 11-7 advantage.

Two more Bees' runs were tacked on in the top of the eighth against Luis Urena in his Midwest League debut to make it an 11-9 game, and in the top of the ninth against Edgar Gomez, a Trever Allen RBI single scored Zach Houchins to make it 11-10, but Gomez induced a groundout off the bat of Ayendy Perez to clinch the Hot Rods' sweep and Gomez's fifth save of the year.

Hot Rods' starter Henry Centeno (7-7) picked up his first win since July 18, allowing three unearned runs over 5.0 innings, setting a career high in walks with five and striking out three.

Bees' starter Jake Jewell (5-7) retired the first 10 batters he faced before Sole's single in the bottom of the fourth and was finished after 4.1 innings, getting touched for the first six hits and six runs of the expanded fifth stanza, while walking just one and striking out five.

Bowling Green was hitting .190 as a team this month and had scored just 17 runs in 10 games, but busted out for a team average of .333 (11-33) on the night and went 8-for-13 with runners in scoring position, scoring its most runs in a game since July 30 in an 11-3 seven-inning victory against West Michigan. Four Hot Rods notched two-hit games while both Jackson and Ciuffo etched three RBI.

Peoria comes to town for a three-game weekend series starting at 7:05 p.m. CDT on Friday, as Bowling Green gives the rock to right-hander Chris Pike (9-5, 3.17) to face off against the first of three Chiefs' lefties in Ian McKinney (0-0, 0.00).

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