Owen Wild tossed a career-high 6 2/3 innings and eight strikeouts, lifting the Bowling Green Hot Rods over the Wilmington Blue Rocks (22-25) 8-4 on Friday at Bowling Green Ballpark.

The Hot Rods (27-22) began the scoring in the bottom of the first inning against Wilmington starter Rodney Theophile. Brayden Taylor led off with a double to right center and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Cooper Kinney lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, plating Taylor to make it 1-0 Hot Rods.

Bowling Green clubbed another run in the bottom of the third facing Theophile. Kinney doubled and was brought in by a Colton Ledbetter single, putting the Hot Rods ahead 2-0.

The Blue Rocks (22-25) scored in the top of the fourth facing Wild. Daylen Lile walked to lead off the inning and scored on a double from Jeremy De La Rosa, cutting the deficit, 2-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Hot Rods added some insurance against Theophile. Xavier Isaac doubled and was brought home on a Ledbetter single to make it a 3-1 Bowling Green lead.

The Blue Rocks scored again in the top of the seventh against reliever TJ Fondtain. Will Frizzell singled and was plated on a double by Maxwell Romero Jr. to move the score, 3-2.

After Ledbetter drove in another run for Bowling Green in the bottom of the seventh off Wilmington reliever Marlone Perez, the Hot Rods opened it up in the bottom of the eighth. With Blue Rocks reliever Chance Huff on the mound and the bases loaded, Ryan Spikes sent a sacrifice fly to left to score Hunter Haas from third. Taylor knocked an RBI double and Isaac drove in two runs on a double to make it 8-2.

Nate Dahle allowed two runs in the top of the ninth, but stopped the scoring there to finalize the game, 8-4.

Wild (1-0) earned the win, allowing a run on four hits, a walk and eight strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings. Theophile (1-3) took the loss, allowing three runs on seven hits and seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 frames.

Bowling Green and Wilmington play the penultimate of a six-game series on Saturday with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m.. The Hot Rods start right-hander Roel Garcia (4-1, 4.24), while the Blue Rocks roll out righty Riley Cornelio (3-4, 5.03).