Johnson's Two-Homer Day Leads Hot Rods to 9-2 Win

Ft. Wayne, IN- Kaleo Johnson hit two homers, including a 420-foot, three-run shot, in the Hot Rods 9-2 victory over the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Wednesday afternoon in the series finale. Bowling Green improves to 11-9 and will take on the Lansing Lugnuts on Thursday at Bowling Green Ballpark to start a four-game series with a 6:35 PM first pitch.

Bowling Green got on the board in the third inning against TinCaps starter Efraín Contreras. Jake Palomaki led off with a single to left and went to third when Tony Pena singled through the right side of the infield. Ford Proctor singled to right, plating Palomaki and giving the Hot Rods a 1-0 lead.
The Hot Rods extended their lead in the fourth against Contreras and the TinCaps. Johnson led off with a solo home runs, his second of the season, to make it a 2-0 game. Johnson's long ball traveled 393 feet over the left-field wall on 3-2 pitch. Roberto Alvarez singled with one out and went to second on a passed ball, scoring when Palomaki tripled to right to give the Hot Rods a 3-0 advantage.
The TinCaps got a run back in the bottom of the fourth against Hot Rods starter Michael Plassmeyer. With two outs, Blake Hunt blasted a homer of his own to left to make it a 3-1 ballgame.
Johnson appeared at the plate again in the fifth, unleashing a thunderous blast that extended the Hot Rods lead. With one out both Wander Franco and Chris Betts walked to bring Johnson to the plate. The clean-up hitter stood in a blasted his second home run of the game, a 420-foot shot to left to give the Hot Rods a 6-1 edge. They added two more runs in the sixth, taking a commanding 8-1 lead.
Franco added a homer in the eighth, a 347-foot shot to right off TinCaps reliever Adrian Martinez. The long-ball was Franco's first of the season and extended the Hot Rods lead to 9-1. The TinCaps plated a runner in the bottom of the ninth on a wild pitch, but the Hot Rods held on for a 9-2 victory and series win.
Plassmeyer (1-1) earned the win, tossing six innings while allowing one run on five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. Cristofer Ogando hurled two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing a hit with three strikeouts. Trey Cumbie threw the ninth inning, allowing one run on two hits with a strikeout.
 
Notes: Johnson's two homer game is the second for a Hot Rod this season… It's the first time in his career he's had a multi-homer game… Chris Betts hit two earlier in the road trip on April 18 at Great Lakes… Michael Plassmeyer also started that game… Plassmeyer tied career highs with six innings pitched and seven strikeouts… He also worked his second quality start of the season… He earned the first win of his professional career… Palomaki and Proctor have five-game hit streaks… It was also Palomaki's second multi-hit game of the year… He batted seventh in the order for the first time this season… Franco's first home run of the season extended his hit streak to 10 games… Johnson tied Betts for most total bases in a game with nine… It was his fourth multi-hit game of the season and second three-hit game… His four RBI tie a career high which he set on April 18 at Great Lakes… Bowling Green has won four-straight series and are 4-1-1 in series this season… It's the second time they've won a series against Fort Wayne in 2019… BG is 4-2 against the TinCaps in 2019… They're 3-0 in the rubber match of a three-game set… The Hot Rods are 4-0 in their orange uniforms… Franco is the first Hot Rods player to homer in the eighth inning this season… Bowling Green has yet to homer in the sixth inning of a game this season… The Hot Rods have now hit more home runs against the TinCaps (5) than any other team they've played… The Hot Rods begin a four-game weekend series against the Lansing Lugnuts on Thursday with a 6:35 PM first pitch… It's the first Bootleggers Thursday presented by Casey Jones Distillery of the year at Bowling Green Ballpark… The Hot Rods will wear specialty jerseys and take on the identity of the Bowling Green Bootleggers for the night… Fans can take advantage of drink specials start at $1 and $2… Fans can also take advantage of "Float the Keg" at BGBP… Beer from the two kegs will be .50 cents until they float… The Hot Rods will send RH Caleb Sampen (1-1, 6.75) to the mound against Lugnuts RH Fitz Stradler (1-1, 5.40)… Fans can catch all the action with Shawn Murnin on Willie 107.9 FM, as well as, with their smart phones via the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn Radio app.
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