Hilson and Dumitru Power Grasshoppers Past Hot Rods, 10–4
from Callie Cline, Director of Greensboro Grasshoppers Media, and from www.gsohoppers.com…Plus MORE info below from The LONG GONE Baseball Radio Network, and from GreensboroSports.com…….
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Greensboro Grasshoppers defeated the Bowling Green Hot Rods, 10–4, on Saturday, July 12, at First National Bank Field. With the win, the Grasshoppers improved to 14–6 in the second half of the season, while the Hot Rods dropped to 11–9. Both teams recorded nine hits, while Greensboro committed two errors.
Outfielder P.J. Hilson led the offensive effort for the Grasshoppers, going 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI, and two runs scored. Titus Dumitru followed with a strong performance, finishing 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs scored. Additional hits for Greensboro came from Derek Berg (2), Javier Rivas, Shalin Polanco, and Justin Miknis.
Bowling Green was paced at the plate by designated hitter Noah Myers, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Ryan Spikes also contributed, going 2-for-3 with a home run, one RBI, and a run scored. Daniel Vellojin, Aidan Smith, and Mac Horvath each added a hit for the Hot Rods.
Right-handed pitcher Carlson Reed got the start for Greensboro, allowing six hits, three earned runs, and four walks while striking out three over five innings. Landon Tomkins earned the win in relief and improved to 4–2 on the season.
For Bowling Green, right-handed starter Garrett Edwards pitched six innings, allowing three hits, two earned runs, and two walks while striking out four. Noah Beal was charged with his first loss and a blown save of the season.
The Grasshoppers finish up their home series against the Hot Rods tomorrow, Sunday, July 13 at 2:00pm for Family Funday Sunday. To purchase tickets to any Grasshoppers home game, visit gsohoppers.com or call 336-268-2255.
MORE from GreensboroSports.com and from The LONG GONE Baseball Radio Network….
Got to give it up to P.J. Hilson, as he has found his stride this week….Hilson on Saturday night went 2-3, with a Double/HBP/2 Runs/RBI…Not a bad line, but it doesn’t stop there…Hilson is hitting the ball hard and he is hitting it in the holes…Over his four games played this week, Hilson has gone 8-16 at the plate, with 3 Home Runs, and 7 runs scored…Hilson hitting, and getting it done….
On Saturday night, Titus Dumitru was busting through in a big way…He went 2-3/HR/2 BBs/2 Runs/4 RBI…Since Dumitru joined the Grasshoppers, coming over from the Atlanta Braves/Rome Emperors, Dumitru has playing like he has been a Hopper for Life….
Then you take Derek Berg…He is the West Point grad and he set the tone by helping the Hoppers get it on, in their HUGE 7-Run eighth inning on Saturday…Berg posted a super important Two-Run single, on a ground ball to center field, and as he was scoring the Greensboro Grasshoppers were just getting warmed up…As Greensboro Hornets PA man Larry Davis used to say, “Count them, that’s ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN Hoppers/Hornets runs”, in that Game-Changing seventh frame of the game….
A guy like Will Taylor did not get a hit, but he still found a way to help out by drawing Two Walks and scoring Two Runs…On his twenty second birthday, Jesus Castillo did not get a hit, but he got Hit by a Pitch, and he scored a run, and we all hope on this day when Jesus turned 22, that he enjoyed his day with me and you…
Javier Rivas reached on a single and he scored a run, plus you had Shalin Polanco going 1-3, with a BB and one run scored… That Seventh Inning still looks like the straw that was stirring the drink on Saturday night…
But yet we also know that the final score was 10-4, and this was the second straight night the Hoppers posted a Ten Spot on the scoreboard…But maybe a key difference in this Saturday night win, vs. what we saw on Friday, was on Saturday the Saints came marching in, when they scored those Ten Runs, plus as they came marching in, the Greensboro Grasshoppers also opened up their pen/bullpen, with Landon Tomkins, JP Massey, Julian Bosnic, and Mike Walsh all marching in from that strong pen, and helping the Hoppers get the win…
The Hoppers bullpen, with Tomkins, Massey, Bosnic, and Walsh, gave up 1 Run, on 3 Hits, with 2 BBs/5 Ks…Those four fellas deserve a spot on our REMAX Revolution Players of the Game List, along with Hilson, Dumitru, and Berg…Sometimes it takes an island, and many times it takes a good old fashioned effort from your pen, and the Hoppers got that, and MORE on Saturday night….
So we are past the first half, and let’s do some quick math…We may need to call on Justin Miknis, to help us cure our sickness, with his numerical quickness, but this is how we see it…The Greensboro Grasshoppers now stand at (9-7) vs. the Bowling Green Hot Rods this season…Hoppers at (5-5) vs. the Rods at home, and they sit at (4-2), vs. the BG Hot Rods on the road…Sort of important numbers with the fact that Bowling Green won the First Half of the South Atlantic League’s Southern Division, plus Bowling Green has been at or near the top, throughout the early portions of the SALLY’s Second Half….
We call it, “The Season of the Summer in the SALLY, Second Half”…And with the Hoppers playing like they have played in 2025, it is not inconceivable that Greensboro and Bowling Green will meet again, in the Postseason…..You may see these two teams battling come Mid-September, and going for SALLY Cup…
Good to have Connor Ballou on board with us for the broadcast on Saturdy night, and I do think Connor was impressed with how well the Grasshoppers played, as you look at their whole body of work, and that body of work was missing Konnor Griffin on Saturday, with Griffin road tripping and playing in the Futures All-Star Game, in Atlanta…
Time now to take a look at the Key Game Details from Saturday’s game at First National Bank Field….
Final Score:Greensboro Grasshoppers 10, Bowling Green Hot Rods 4
WP:Landon Tomkins(4-2)/LP:Noah Beal(0-1)
Hoppers' Line-10-9-2 Hot Rods' Line-4-9-2
Greensboro Grasshoppers(59-26/14-6)
Bowling Green Hot Rods(45-39/11-9)
Game Attendance-5,063
Game Time Temp-90 degrees
Game Time of Game-2:51
Up Next, Bowling Green Hot Rods at the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Sunday afternoon at First National Bank Field…First pitch coming from the Hoppers’ Hung-Leng Chang at 2pm…Kids play catch on the field before the game with Curve as their host, and then the Kids Get To Run the Bases after the game….If you can’t make it to the game, be sure to tune in and listen to The LONG GONE Baseball Radio Network, on www.gsohoppers.com…
CLICK HERE to listen to Sunday’s game live from anywhere in the world…At home, at the game, on the way home from the game, you got it when you
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