Midland, MI - For the first time this week, the South Bend Cubs picked up a victory over the Great Lakes Loons at Dow Diamond. Nearly capping off a shutout, South Bend finished off the 6-2 win after dropping the first three games of series on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Friday night, South Bend once again scored a singular run in the top of the 1st inning, just as they did on Thursday. The second batter of the game, Angel Cepeda, sliced a solo home run over the right field wall that just cleared the fence for a 1-0 lead.
In each of the last two games, Great Lakes had scored multiple runs in their half of the 1st inning. With four runs on Wednesday in the 1st, and three on Thursday, the Cubs started the 1st inning with a strong point tonight when Chuck Davalan failed to reach base to begin the Loons lineup for the first time this week. Alfredo Romero continued that pace, and hung a much needed zero to begin his outing.
In the 3rd, South Bend was gifted with a four-run inning, picking up just one base hit. The Cubs walked three times, which included one with the bases loaded. With the bags still juiced, Kade Snell reached on a catcher’s interference play. With another run in, two more scored thanks to an error made at shortstop. South Bend led 5-0.
Romero added more scoreless frames, ultimately working five shutout innings to put himself in line for the victory. He did not walk a batter, and struck out three.
With two outs in the top of the 6th inning, Michael Hallquist crushed his sixth home run with the Cubs in 31 games, a deep drive over the left field wall to extend the lead to 6-0. South Bend has five home runs in the series, with all of them being of the solo variety.
Out of the Cubs bullpen, Cole Reynolds pitched shutout innings in the 6th, 7th, and 8th, and took the hill to start the 9th. Great Lakes loaded up the bases in the 9th inning, as Reynolds struck out a pair to put the Loons down to their final out. With two outs in the 9th, South Bend turned to Adam Stone for the final out of the game. Great Lakes scored twice with the bags full to spoil the shutout bid, but Stone caught Anson Aroz looking to end the game to cap off the victory.
With the win, South Bend holds onto the best total record in the Midwest League at 64-44. The Cubs started the day 2.0 games back of the Beloit Sky Carp for the Midwest League West Division second-half lead, but with the Beloit game being postponed tonight in Peoria, South Bend will now be 1.5 games back entering Saturday. Beloit and Peoria will play a doubleheader on Saturday.
Great Lakes, due to a win by West Michigan tonight over Lansing, will be tied atop the East Division second-half standings along with the Whitecaps. South Bend will host West Michigan next week at Four Winds Field.
Game five of this week’s series in Midland is scheduled for 7:05 PM EST. Lefty Pierce Coppola will get the start for the Cubs as South Bend looks to win the next two. If they can, they would split the series against the Loons.