BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – With four home runs — their most in a game since 2014 — the TinCaps beat the Bowling Green Hot Rods, 9-2, on Saturday night at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Center fielder Jhonatan Peña gave Fort Wayne (3-0, 39-34) a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning with a three-run homer — his third consecutive game with a long ball. Peña plated first baseman Ty France and right fielder Alan Garcia, who had doubled and singled in front of him off Bowling Green (0-3, 37-35) starter Blake Bivens (L, 3-2).

The TinCaps added an unearned run in the fourth to expand their lead to 4-0. Fort Wayne starter Austin Smith yielded only a run with two outs in the fourth.

After the Hot Rods cut it to 4-2 with another run in the fifth, the TinCaps stretched the lead back to three runs at 5-2 in the top of the seventh on a solo home run by third baseman Kodie Tidwell.

The visitors poured it on in the ninth with four more runs as designated hitter Marcus Greene, Jr. belted a solo shot, second baseman Peter Van Gansen ripped an RBI triple, and catcher Austin Allen catapulted a two-run homer.

Elliot Morris (W, 1-0) followed Smith with three innings of relief. Gerardo Reyes (S, 5) pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth.

The final game of the series will start at 5:05 p.m. Sunday.