GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Greenville Drive built a three-run lead behind a 16-hit night and a pair of home runs from Jack Winnay, but the Bowling Green Hot Rods answered with 10 runs over the final five innings to hand Greenville a 14-8 loss Saturday night at Fluor Field.
Bowling Green (27-11) claimed its fifth straight win in the six-game series and now leads the set 5-0. Greenville fell to 14-24.
The Drive led 7-4 after four innings, fueled by a balanced offensive attack that included four hits from Justin Gonzales, four more from Yoeilin Cespedes, three from Antonio Anderson and three from Winnay. But the Hot Rods erased the deficit with a four-run fifth, added an insurance run in the eighth and broke the game open with five more in the ninth.
Tom Poole led Bowling Green’s offense, going 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and three runs scored. Émilien Pitre added three hits, including a solo homer, and Theo Gillen went 3-for-5 with two triples, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Bowling Green struck first in the opening inning against Greenville starter Devin Futrell. Adrian Santana singled to right, moved to third on Nathan Flewelling’s single to right-center and scored on Pitre’s single to left. Futrell limited the damage by getting Connor Hujsak to ground into an inning-ending double play.
The Hot Rods extended the lead to 3-0 in the second when Ryan McCoy was hit by a pitch and Poole followed with a two-run homer to right-center. Bowling Green threatened for more after an error and a Gillen single put runners at the corners, but Futrell escaped the inning with a groundout.
Greenville answered immediately in the bottom half. Ronny Hernandez doubled to right and Anderson drove him in with a triple to right. Natanael Yuten followed with an RBI groundout, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Gonzales then singled to center for his second hit in as many innings before Henry Godbout grounded out to end the frame.
Bowling Green pushed the lead to 4-2 in the third on Pitre’s leadoff double and Narciso Polanco’s RBI single. After Polanco stole second, Osvaldo Berrios entered in relief and stranded two inherited runners by striking out Poole and Angel Mateo.
The Drive tied the game in the bottom of the third. Cespedes opened the inning with a double to left-center, and Winnay followed by driving the first pitch he saw over the wall in left for a two-run homer, his fourth of the season, pulling Greenville even at 4-4.
Berrios worked through trouble in the fourth after Gillen tripled with one out, keeping the game tied with a strikeout of Flewelling and a forceout from Hujsak.
Greenville then surged in front with a three-run fourth. Anderson opened with an infield single, Yuten walked and Gonzales singled to center to score Anderson. Cespedes followed with an RBI single up the middle, bringing home Yuten, and Winnay added an RBI double to left to score Gonzales and give the Drive a 7-4 lead.
Bowling Green turned the game in the fifth. After Berrios retired the first two hitters, Jay Allmer entered and Poole greeted him with a solo homer to left-center. Mateo followed with a double, Santana walked and Gillen drove both runners home with a triple to right-center. Gillen also scored on a throwing error on the play, giving the Hot Rods an 8-7 lead.
Greenville put the tying run in scoring position in the sixth when Gonzales doubled to left-center, but Garrett Gainey struck out Godbout, Cespedes and Winnay in succession to preserve the one-run lead. Gainey earned the win despite allowing seven runs on 12 hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out seven.
Andy Rodriguez took over in the seventh and helped quiet Greenville’s offense, working two scoreless innings. Yophery Rodriguez singled to begin the seventh, but Hernandez grounded into a double play. Anderson singled to open the eighth, but Gonzales later grounded into another double play to end the inning.
The Hot Rods added a run in the eighth when Pitre led off against Luis Cohen with a solo homer to right, stretching the lead to 9-7.
Bowling Green put the game away in the ninth. Poole singled, Mateo doubled and Santana brought home Poole with a groundout. Flewelling followed with another run-scoring groundout, Pitre walked and Hujsak delivered a two-run single to right. Polanco capped the inning with an RBI triple to right-center, pushing the lead to 14-7.
Greenville added one final run in the ninth. Cespedes singled to left but was thrown out trying to stretch the hit to second. Winnay then launched his second homer of the night, a solo shot to center off Cade Citelli, trimming the final margin to 14-8.
Winnay finished 3-for-5 with two home runs, a double and four RBIs. Gonzales went 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, while Cespedes went 4-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored. Anderson finished 3-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored.
Berrios provided 2 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen for Greenville, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out four. Allmer took the loss and was charged with four runs, three earned, over 2 1/3 innings. Cohen allowed six runs over the final two innings.
The Drive and Hot Rods combined for 31 hits, with Bowling Green finishing 17-for-44 and Greenville going 16-for-40. Greenville went 5-for-14 with runners in scoring position, while Bowling Green finished 4-for-17.
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