Bowling Green Hot Rods infielder Blake Robertson (31) bats during the Hot Rods 3-2 in over Aberdeen on Sunday, August 3, 2025 at Bowling Green Ballpark in Bowling Green, Ky. (Caleb Lowndes / Daily News)

Losing a six-game home series has been a rarity for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, but Abderdeen had a chance to do just that in Sunday’s series finale.

Bowling Green was able to salvage the split, rallying for a 3-2 win. Bowling Green (54-36 overall, 20-16 second half) scratched across three runs in the final three at-bats — including a go-ahead hit from Blake Robertson in the eighth — to bounce back from back-to-back losses to Aberdeen.

With the series split, Bowling Green has lost just one six-game series at Bowling Green Ballpark in the last 29 series dating back to August 2022.

“I think we had some good, positive things come out of (the previous two games), BG bench coach Perry Roth said. “We played pretty competitive. Saturday night’s game kind of got away a little bit on us late, but I thought the guys had good at-bats. We ran into some tough luck at times with the bats. This goes back to the competitiveness of these guys. They keep competing. It’s fun to see. I think it is just a really good win.”

Aberdeen (40-60, 16-19) got a sacrifice fly from Ethan Anderson in the first, the only run allowed by BG starter Garrett Gainey. Making his second start in the series, Gainey allowed one run and two hits with a walk and a strikeout in five innings. It was the third straight start of at least five innings for Gainey.

“The first time as a (Tampa Bay) Ray he has started twice in a week, Tuesday-Sunday, which is not an easy thing to do,” Roth said. “We tried to keep the pitch count down on those days. A lot of times guys only get through four and he was able to get through five. Probably could have sent him back out there, but we decided we had a pretty fresh bullpen today so let’s use that.

“Garrett is such a competitive kid. I love how he just executed pitches. He didn’t get rattled by giving up one in the first.”

Anderson added a solo homer in the sixth off reliever Seth Chavez before the BG bats came to life.

After Robertson doubled to lead off the fifth for the Hot Rods’ first hit of the day, Bowling Green got three hits in the sixth — including RBI singles from Raudelis Martinez and Robertson to tie the score 2-2.

Aberdeen threatened to regain the lead in the top of the eighth, getting a runner to third with two outs before reliever Alexander Alberto got two strikes out to keep the score 2-2.

“I thought some of the momentum really got back on our side when Alberto left the guy stranded,” Roth said. “You could really hear a lot of the guys in the dugout get excited. That is a good thing, especially this time of year when it is easy to go about your business individually. Our guys are going about their business collectively to try to win and see each other succeed. So that is really fun.”

That set the stage for the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth.

Mac Horvath walked and advanced to second on a fly ball to center. Robertson followed with a single to left, allowing Horvath to score what would be the winning run.

Robertson finished with three of the Hot Rods’ five hits.

“Blake had a really nice day,” Roth said. “Got it started with a double, our first hit of the game. He had another RBI mixed in there as well. He’s just a great, great guy. His teammates love him and he posts up every day. You love to have those guys come up in big moments and have success.”

Alberto picked up the win, his first of the season, with the scoreless eighth. Drew Dodd struck out two in a perfect ninth to earn his third save of the season.

Bowling Green will get a rare off day at home on Monday before opening a six-game series against Winston-Salem at 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday at Bowling Green Ballpark. It’s only the second time this season the Hot Rods have an off day at home.

“It’s an off day and you don’t have to travel, which is really nice,” Roth said. “You still have players on the team that are moving, gotta fly back to Charleston and get their stuff and drive back. Guys have to change apartments. There is always something going on, but yes it is nice to have a decompression day and relax a little bit.”