Hot Rods Wrap Up First Half with 2-0 Shut-Out

[Game recap provided by Tom Gauthier of the Bowling Green Hot Rods.]

Bowling Green, KY – Kyle Lobstein pitched seven shutout innings and Brett Nommensen homered as the Hot Rods ended the first half of the season with a 2-0 shutout of the West Michigan Whitecaps on Father’s Day at Bowling Green Ballpark. The victory wraps up a series victory over the Whitecaps and sends the Hot Rods into the All-Star Break with victories in three of their final four series to end the first half.

Lobstein began the game with two perfect innings, allowing just two balls out of the infield while picking up a strikeout in his second start against West Michigan. He would get all the offense he needed in the bottom half of the second when Nommensen hit a towering home run onto 7th Avenue to put the Hot Rods up 1-0. It was Nommensen’s fifth home run of the season and his fourth since June 6.

Two innings later, Tyler Bortnick and Mayo Acosta combined for another run with a pair of doubles to give Lobstein a 2-0 cushion. That was more than enough as he eventually worked his way through seven scoreless, allowing just four hits. He struck out five and walked just one to earn his fourth win of the season.

Lobstein has now won three straight decisions, improving to 3-0 in four June starts. He’s thrown 24.2 innings in June, allowing just three earned runs on 15 hits. His 1.09 ERA this month has been highlighted by 21 strikeouts and just 8 walks.

Bortnick finished the game with a pair of doubles, adding a two-base hit to his resume in the sixth. He wrapped up a fantastic series against West Michigan with five hits in nine at-bats, homering twice and doubling three times. He scored
three times and drove in three as well. He enters the All-Star Break with a .295 average, second only to Chris Murrill’s .303 average. He also finished the first half with 19 doubles, sixth most in the Midwest League.

Alex Koronis and Scott Shuman each pitched a scoreless inning to wrap up the game, with Shuman earning his ninth save of the year. Shuman has now gone 15 straight innings without allowing a run. The bullpen as a whole has gone 25 innings without allowing an earned run heading into the break.

Murrill and pitchers Alexander Colome and Wilking Rodriguez now head to Fort Wayne, IN, for the 2010 Midwest League All-Star Game at Parkview Field on Tuesday night. The game begins at 7:05 PM and you can follow the action by visiting www.milb.com.
The rest of the Hot Rods will join the all-stars in Fort Wayne to begin the second half with a three-game series against the TinCaps beginning Friday night at 6:05 PM CDT. You can follow the action with Tom Gauthier at 5:50 PM CDT on 1340 AM WBGN ‘The Ticket’ or www.bghotrods.com.

The Hot Rods return home to begin a six-game home stand on Monday, June 28 at 7:05 PM against the Lansing Lugnuts (Toronto Blue Jays). For tickets and a complete list of upcoming promotions, visit www.bghotrods.com.