After taking the first four games of the series, the South Bend Cubs (16-13) fell to the Lansing Lugnuts (12-20) by an 8-5 score on Saturday afternoon at Four Winds Field. Lansing rode a six-run second inning and a quality start from right-hander Tzu-Chen Sha to the win.
Click here to view Saturday’s box score.
The Lugnuts, who coughed up a 3-0 lead in Friday’s game, made sure they built an insurmountable advantage on Saturday. They took full advantage of Cub lefty Cole Reynolds’ struggles in the second inning, scoring six runs on four hits and three walks. Their run-scoring hits came from center fielder Rodney Green Jr. on a two-run double, shortstop Ali Camarillo on a single, and designated hitter Casey Yamauchi on another RBI single.
The Cubs would respond in the bottom of the third, halving their deficit with a three-spot. Catcher Justin Stransky led off with a single, advancing to third on another base hit from center fielder Kane Kepley. Shortstop Ty Southisene plated them both with a triple down the right-field line, and right fielder Kade Snell followed with a sacrifice fly for his team-best 23rd RBI of the season. At the end of three innings, Lansing led by a 6-3 score.
With the Cubs into their bullpen, the Lugnuts pushed back with two runs against right-hander Nate Williams in the top of the fourth. Yamauchi doubled for his second of three hits on the day, driving in a run before scoring himself on catcher Dylan Fien’s single.
South Bend’s bullpen settled in after that, giving the Cub offense a chance to hang around in the game. Right-hander Ben Johnson covered 2.1 scoreless frames, facing the minimum in each of his two full frames. Big righty Adam Stone then contributed two shutout frames, leaving the bases loaded in the seventh and catching a pop fly to end the eighth.
Meanwhile, the Cubs couldn’t scratch across any more runs against Sha, who completed six innings for the first time in his High-A career. However, they did get to lefty reliever Jack Mahoney in the bottom of the eighth, putting the first two runners on with a Southisene single and a Snell double. Both men came around to score, with first baseman Cole Mathis launching a sacrifice fly to draw the Cubs within an 8-5 margin.
Right-hander Jake Garland succeeded in the save opportunity for Lansing, using a double play to work around a leadoff single in the ninth.
For the Mother’s Day series finale, the Cubs and Lugnuts will square off at 2:05 PM on Sunday, May 10. Lansing is scheduled to throw right-hander Nathan Dettmer, while South Bend has not announced its starting pitcher.