Once again, oh so close.
Over four straight games in a pivotal series for the Tourists, only four runs divide both teams. Bowling Green has come out on top all four times, earning a series win. Friday night's 3-2 loss for Asheville was yet another example of a much improved pitching staff held back by a suddenly starving offense.
Andrew Taylor made his second start for the Tourists after returning from his IL stint. Last week in Rome, Taylor threw a perfect four innings. While tonight wasn’t perfect, his 4.1 innings of one-run ball kept Asheville in it early. Taylor tacked on 4 strikeouts while only allowing three base runners on two walks and a hit by pitch.
Tonight, it was Bowling Green who got on the board first. Noah Myers got the scoring started on an RBI single to right to score Ryan McCoy in the second inning. 1-0.
It didn’t come until the fifth, but eventually Justin Thomas Jr. had the answer. Thomas cracked a high chopper to third that bounced over the head of third baseman Tony Santa Maria and trickled into left. It drove in John Garcia from third easily to tie the game at one.
It took until the sixth for the Tourists to knock out Hot Rods starter Jose Urbina, who allowed one run while striking out seven over his 5.1 innings. Reliever Andres Galan followed Urbina and struggled a bit more.
Galan put runners on second and third with one out in the seventh inning, the perfect situation for top prospect Xavier Neyens to break through. He ripped a single to right to score John Garcia from third to give Asheville a 2-1 lead. Neyens hit it so hard that it bounced to right fielder Jhon Diaz before Justin Thomas Jr. could round third. A strikeout and a groundout followed, stranding what would be a crucial third run 90 feet away.
The Hot Rods came right back to tie it in the bottom of the seventh. Connor Hujsak jacked a high fly ball to right-center field that carried over the wall to tie the game on a solo shot. It was Hujsak’s 24th home run across two levels this season.
The next inning, Nathan Flewelling answered the bell again for Bowling Green. He mashed a single to right to score Tony Santa Maria from second. 3-2.
That proved to be the decisive run.
Unlike other games in this series, Asheville generated chances. The Tourists outhit the Hot Rods nine to five. The problem came with runners in scoring position, hitting just 3-for-16. In total, Asheville left 12 runners on base.
Three Tourists collected multi-hit nights. Thomas, Neyens, and John Garcia. Thomas now has four hits in four games this series as he continues to break out of a slump.
Parker Smith gets the start on Saturday night for the Tourists. He faces off against the right-hander Trevor Harrison. First pitch is set for 7:35 p.m.