Appleton, WI - Heading into Wednesday night at Fox Cities Stadium, the South Bend Cubs were looking for a rebound effort following the team’s series opening loss to begin the week. They got that and more, as Angel Cepeda and Josiah Hartshorn both mashed four-hit games, with Cepeda launching a pair of home runs in the Cubs 13-6 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
South Bend sent right-hander Brayden Spears to the mound in his first High-A start. Spears would have to wait a little while longer than anticipated to take the mound, after a 31-minute rain delay.
After appearing out of the Cubs bullpen 21 times throughout the season, Spears was put in the starting role, and he struck out the side in the bottom of the 1st inning. In the 2nd, the Cubs then gave Spears the lead, scoring three runs to take the game’s first lead. The Cubs first got a run on a double-play ball, then Reggie Preciado returned to the South Bend lineup with an infield RBI single, and Hartshorn doubled to start his big night.
For Preciado, the Panama native appeared in his first game since April 30 after missing the last number of months with an injury. Preciado finished tonight with a three-RBI game, after also driving in another pair of runs in the top of the 3rd to help the Cubs stretch their lead to 7-0. Preciado was on base four times.
The four-hit game for Hartshorn was the first of his young-career. He also raked in two RBI, giving him 102 total this season between Low-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend.
Spears finished his first Midwest League start with three innings, and was relieved by Braylon Myers. The right-hander Myers appeared out of the Cubs bullpen for the first time after starting his first three High-A games. Myers pitched perfect innings in the 5th and the 6th, as the Cubs continued to score, getting Cepeda’s first home run in the 4th inning, and then an RBI triple from Alexey Lumpuy in the same frame, scoring Logan Poteet, who had doubled.
Wisconsin slowly slithered back into the game with four combined runs between the 6th and 8th innings, including back-to-back home runs by Daniel Dickinson and Eric Bitonti. It was 9-6 Cubs heading to the 9th inning.
In the 9th, South Bend put its second four-run rally together, getting three of the four on Cepeda’s second homer of the game. For Cepeda, he finished the night 4/5 with the two home runs, three total runs, four RBI, and walk. The Cubs made it 13-6, and right-hander Adam Stone locked down the final three outs to earn South Bend the win.
On the season, in seven total games in Appleton so far, South Bend has scored 10 runs or more at Fox Cities Stadium four times.
With this series tied at one win apiece, the series lead is on the line Thursday night at 7:40 PM EST. Right-hander Nazier Mulé is the scheduled starter for South Bend in game three.