The South Bend Cubs (47-33) returned to the win column on Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium, defeating the Cedar Rapids Kernels (34-47) by a 9-1 score. The Cubs only allowed three hits in the game, getting 5.0 scoreless innings out of their bullpen.
Click here to view Thursday’s box score.
Both of Thursday’s starting pitchers came out of the gate hot, each retiring six batters in a row to open the game. Cedar Rapids right-hander blinked first in the top of the third inning, issuing three walks and allowing two runs. A wild pitch brought in the Cubs’ first run, and left fielder Jose Escobar delivered the second with a sacrifice fly. The Kernels came back with a run against South Bend righty Kevin Valdez in the bottom of the third, closing within a 2-1 score on left fielder Graham Brown’s RBI single.
With the aid of Cedar Rapids’ defense, the Cubs tallied another two runs in the top of the fourth, going ahead 4-1. Third baseman Matt Halbach and right fielder Miguel Useche each singled with nobody out, and Kernels third baseman Rayne Doncon overran an inning-ending double play chance, loading the bases with one retired. Second baseman Michael Hallquist punished the Kernels with an RBI single to right, and first baseman Josiah Hartshorn stretched the lead further with a bases-loaded hit by pitch.
Cedar Rapids could have responded again in the bottom of the fourth, but stranded two runners in scoring position. Valdez departed after escaping that threat, giving way to a dominant performance from the South Bend bullpen. Righty relievers Luis Rujano, Brayden Spears, and Ethan Bell combined to face the minimum 5.0 scoreless innings, walking none and conceding just one hit. Rujano and Spears each contributed 2.0 shutout frames, while Bell completed the win with a clean ninth.
After sitting on the 4-1 lead for a while, the Cubs turned the game into a laugher in the top of the ninth, tallying five runs. Hallquist, who batted twice in the inning, led off with a double and later scored on a fielder’s choice. Halbach delivered the key hit, a two-run single to right that finished off his 3-for-5 night. A pair of wild pitches plated South Bend’s final two runs, bringing the game to its 9-1 final score.
Leading the series 2-1, the Cubs will take on the Kernels again at 7:35 PM ET on Friday, July 10. Left-hander and No. 28 Cubs prospect Pierce Coppola is scheduled to make his High-A debut for South Bend against Cedar Rapids lefty Cesar Lares.