The South Bend Cubs (29-17) won their series against the Fort Wayne TinCaps (23-27) on Saturday night at Four Winds Field, earning a 7-0 victory. The Cubs have now claimed four consecutive series and maintain the best record in the Midwest League.
Click here to view Saturday’s box score.
Right-hander Koen Moreno made the start for South Bend, delivering four scoreless innings for the second consecutive week. Moreno had to grind out his final two frames, loading the bases on walks in the third and allowing two men to enter scoring position in the fourth. Fort Wayne missed each opportunity, allowing Moreno to hang zeroes and the Cub offense to take an early lead.
Working against Fort Wayne righty Abraham Parra, the Cubs got going in the bottom of the second. After third baseman Matt Halbach led off with a walk, left fielder Jose Escobar and catcher Justin Stransky visited left field with consecutive RBI doubles, giving South Bend a 2-0 lead. The Cubs would grab another run in the third, capitalizing on an error through Halbach’s RBI single.
Parra pulled his outing back together in the middle innings, retiring seven in a row after the Halbach single. The Cubs got to him again in the sixth, though, starting the inning with a pair of walks. Fort Wayne called on the bullpen and lefty Igor Gil, but the situation worsened, as first baseman Drew Bowser came up with the bases loaded. After crushing a grand slam in Friday’s first inning, Bowser launched another one to left field, breaking the game open and putting South Bend ahead 7-0. Bowser is the first player in South Bend Cubs history to hit a grand slam in consecutive games.
South Bend’s bullpen completed the shutout, delivering five scoreless frames in relief of Moreno. Right-hander Eli Jerzembeck led off with two scoreless innings, and fellow righty Mason McGwire followed with six strikeouts in three clean frames to earn the save in his High-A debut.
The Cubs will try to make it a 5-1 series win against Fort Wayne at 2:05 PM on Sunday, May 31. Right-hander Nazier Mulé is scheduled to pitch for South Bend against Fort Wayne lefty Jamie Hitt.