The South Bend Cubs (34-19) won their series against the Quad Cities River Bandits (24-30) on Saturday night at Modern Woodmen Park, winning 13-2. The Cubs have now won five consecutive series, mathematically eliminating Quad Cities from first-half West Division title contention.
Click here to view the box score for Saturday’s game.
The Cubs attacked Quad Cities starter and No. 22 Royals prospect Blake Wolters from the get-go, scoring 8 runs against him in the first four innings. Their top of the first started with back-to-back walks, allowing right fielder Josiah Hartshorn to drive in two with a double to right. First baseman Cole Mathis would single home another run in the third, bringing in shortstop Ty Southisene after his leadoff single and steal of second.
Quad Cities created opportunities to hang with the Cubs early, but rehabbing right-hander Will Sanders shut out the River Bandits in 4.0 innings. A double play guided him out of a tricky first, as Quad Cities had put runners on the corners with nobody out. Sanders would go on to strike out three and allow just two singles, leaving additional runners in scoring position in the third and fourth innings.
South Bend changed the complexion of the game for good in the top of the fourth, launching three home runs to take an 8-0 lead. Center fielder Christian Olivo crushed the first one, his fifth of the season, on a two-run rip to left field. Right fielder Josiah Hartshorn later dropped a solo shot in the exact same spot, going the opposite way for his ninth home run of the year and fourth in two weeks at the High-A level. Left fielder Miguel Useche completed the power surge by tagging a two-run home run to left-center for the second game, bringing his season long ball total to seven.
The Cubs added a few more runs in the final third of the game, grabbing three in the seventh, one in the eighth, and another in the ninth. Hartshorn finished his night with 3 hits and 3 RBI, while Mathis, Useche, and Olivo all drove in a pair of runs.
On the other side, right-hander JP Wheat earned the winning decision with a scoreless fifth inning, and righty Koen Moreno notched his first save of the year with a 4-inning effort. Third baseman Derlin Figueroa broke the South Bend shutout in the bottom of the eighth, launching his team-leading 12th home run of the season to account for Quad Cities’ only two runs.
The Cubs will try to take a fifth game in the series at 2:00 PM ET on Sunday. Right-hander Nazier Mulé is scheduled to pitch for South Bend against Quad Cities righty Tanner Jones.