Hot Rods Game Notes SALDS Game 3
September 16, 2022 – South Atlantic League (SAL) – Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
Tonight’s winning team will play for the 2022 South Atlantic League Championship at their home stadium beginning on Sunday.
Impressively Even… Bowling Green got into the win column for the first time this postseason in game-two at Bowling Green Ballpark on Thursday with a 10-1 win, forcing a winner-take-all game three. The offense exploded for 13 hits and four homers while holding Rome to one run on four hits. Mason Auer and Tanner Murray each tied a Hot Rods playoff record with three hits in a game and Johan Lopez stayed hot, going 2-4 with a two-RBI triple. Anthony Molina built on his record-tying season with a win in 5.2 innings, allowing a run on four hits and striking out seven. The bullpen was spotless, led by Patrick Wicklander’s perfect 2.1 innings and three strikeouts. Haden Erbe walked three but pitched a scoreless ninth to finish the win.
Yesterday’s Notes… Four team home runs are the most in a single postseason game in BG history… Hernandez’s homer was the sixth of his playoff career… It was also his sixth against Rome in 2022, including the regular season… Playoff starters have combined for 14 strikeouts and one run in 10.2 innings for BG this year… Everyone in the starting lineup reached base at least once for Bowling Green… Auer and Murray tied Lopez and five others with a single-game playoff record of three hits…
The Stage is Set… After a tight 2022 season series, the Hot Rods and Braves meet for a three-game series in the Divisional Round of the 2022 South Atlantic League playoffs. The Hot Rods won the season series 13-11 with a 7-5 record at home and 6-6 at AdventHealth Stadium. The Braves have outhit BG with a .230 average in the season series to the Hot Rods .219, but BG has outscored Rome 110-101. The Braves have homered 25 times to the Hot Rods 20 this season, and have struck out less (228 to 254). BG’s pitching staff has a series ERA of 3.88 to Rome’s 3.77 but the walks are very close (95 for BG to 96 for Rome). BG has turned more double plays, though, with 17 to eight.
Back to Bowling Green… The road leg of the SAL DS is over and the Hot Rods and Brave turn their attention to Bowling Green for Thursday’s game two. BG was 43-22 at home this season and 7-5 against Rome at BGBP. The Hot Rods must win two straight to advance to the SAL Championship series.
Defending Champs… Jeff Smith led the Hot Rods to their second-ever league title in 2021, and has them back in the postseason in 2022. It’s the sixth-straight season the Hot Rods have reached postseason play, skippered by Smith (2X), Craig Albernaz (1X, 2018), and Reinaldo Ruiz (3X, 2016, 2017, 2019) in this stretch.
Clinched!… BG finished the first half leading their division for the third time in club history, clinching a playoff spot with 2018’s Midwest League Champions and again in 2011. (there were no halves in 2021). The 2011 team finished the first leg of the season with a 41-29 record while the 2018 Hot Rods set a franchise record with 47 wins in the first half and a record of 47-22. The 2022 club became the third Hot Rods team to the 40-win mark in a half.
Records Broken… The Hot Rods had an historic season, with multiple single-season records broken in 2022. Heriberto Hernandez passed Jordan Qsar (2021) for the team’s single-season home run record with his 24th early in the final home series of the regular season. Hernandez passed 2011 Hot Rods lefty Philip Wunderlich for the team RBI record of 86 with three RBIs in Bowling Green’s final game of the regular season, putting his new record at 89. Hernandez also owns the franchise strikeout record, previously held by Josh Lowe (2017, 144). Anthony Molina tied the franchise win record of 13 in his last regular season start, set by George Jensen (2011).
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