The Bowling Green Hot Rods earned an improbable series split against the Hickory Crawdads, rallying for 7-4, 11-inning win on Sunday at Bowling Green Ballpark.

After having to use catcher Ricardo Genoves to pitch in the top of the 11th inning, Bowling Green was able to rally from two runs down – stunning the Crawdads with a walk-off grand slam from Brock Jones. It was BG’s first win in extra innings in four tries this season.

Bowling Green’s fifth walk-off win of the season was its most improbable, with the Hot Rods needing some extra-inning magic to earn the win.

Bowling Green (48-37 overall, 13-7 second half) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third. Brayden Taylor’s RBI single opened the scoring, with Ryan Spikes adding to lead after scoring on a fielder’s choice – safely beating the throw from second with the infield drawn in.

Hickory (38-49, 10-11) was able to tie it late. The Crawdads got an unearned run in the seventh, with Cam Cauley’s solo shot tying the game 2-2 one inning later.

That set the stage for extra innings. Both teams failed to bring a runner home from third with less than two outs in the 10th.

That left the Hot Rods with a depleted bullpen, opting to go to Genoves. The catcher balked the runner at second to start the inning to third and a sacrifice fly brought the go-ahead run home. Gleider Figuereo followed with a solo homer to give the Crawdads insurance.

Bowling Green loaded the bases with no outs after a walk and an error.

Tatem Levins’ bloop single to right allowed BG in inch a little closer and set the stage for Jones, who smashed his 12th homer of the season into the Hickory bullpen in right.

Genoves was the unlikely pitcher of record for the Hot Rods, earning the win.

Bowling Green finished with six hits from six different hitters.

SHORT-HANDED

The numbers game didn’t just apply to the pitching staff, with the Hot Rods bench was a little thinner than usual due to a pair of position players in Texas for All-Star Game festivities.

First baseman Xavier Isaac started in the Futures Game on Saturday, going 0-for-4. Infielder Tre’ Morgan competed in Saturday’s inaugural Future Skills Showcase – finishing sixth out of eight competitors with 34 points.

Former BG Hot Rod Chandler Simpson also participated in the Futures Game, entering in the fifth inning and going 0-for-1 from the plate.

TAKE A BREAK

The Hot Rods will be off for the next four days, as will all other minor league affiliates and major league teams as part of the MLB All-Star break.

UP NEXT

Bowling Green will open a three-game series at Greenville at 6:05 p.m. CDT on Friday.

It will be the second series of the season between the two clubs, with the Hot Rods winning four out of six when the teams previously met April 9-14.{&end}