Haas Clubs Second Homer, Hot Rods Squash Grasshoppers 7-3
Bowling Green, Kentucky – Hunter Haas crushed his second home run of the season, leading the Bowling Green Hot Rods (14-14) to a 7-3 victory over the Greensboro Grasshoppers (16-11) on Tuesday from Bowling Green Ballpark.
The Grasshoppers scored the first run of the game in the top of the third against Hot Rods starter Yoniel Curet. Rodolfo Nolasco ripped a double to left and moved up to third on a fielding error by the first baseman Xavier Isaac. The catcher, Kamren James, committed a throwing error that allowed Nolasco to score and make it 1-0.
Bowling Green took the lead in the bottom of the third off Greensboro starter Patrick Reilly. Chandler Simpson singled, while Isaac and Brayden Taylor worked back-to-back walks to load the bases. Cooper Kinney crushed a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Simpson and tying the game 1-1. Isaac scored from third on a sacrifice fly by Colton Ledbetter to put the Hot Rods up 2-1.
The Hot Rods opened it up off Reilly in the bottom of the fifth. Simpson led-off with a double and scored on a base hit by Isaac to make it a 3-1 ballgame. Isaac came around to score on a double from Taylor, extending the lead, 4-1. Ledbetter singled to left, plating Taylor to put Bowling Green up 5-1.
Greensboro scored two more runs in the top of eighth off Bowling Green reliever Jeff Hakanson with a two-run homer by Lonnie White Jr. Bowling Green answered back with two of their own in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run home run from Haas against Grasshoppers reliever Jaycob Deese.
JJ Goss shutout the Grasshoppers offense in the ninth, finalizing the score, 7-3.
Curet (1-3) earned the win, letting up a run (zero earned), on one hit, two walks, and nine strikeouts over 5.0 frames. Reilly (1-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on five hits, three walks, and three strikeouts over 4.0 innings.
The Hot Rods and Grasshoppers continue their six-game series on Wednesday with first pitch set for 11:05 AM CT. Bowling Green rolls out RHP Duncan Davitt (1-2, 4.38), while Greensboro starts RHP JP Massey (2-2, 5.50).
