The South Bend Cubs (33-19) split their 14-inning doubleheader against the Quad Cities River Bandits (24-29) on Friday night at Modern Woodmen Park, losing 13-8 and winning 4-3. With Wisconsin’s loss at Cedar Rapids, the Cubs picked up half a game in the West Division, pushing their first-place cushion to four games.
Click here to view the Game 1 box score. Click here to view the Game 2 box score.
The opening game couldn’t have opened much worse for South Bend, as Quad Cities jumped out to a 9-0 lead on 11 hits through two innings. No. 17 Chicago Cubs prospect Jostin Florentino started and labored through a 33-pitch first inning, as designated hitter Blake Mitchell, left fielder Luke Pelzer, first baseman Derlin Figueroa, and shortstop Tyriq Kemp all notched RBI hits to make it 4-0.
The going remained tough for righty reliever Brayden Spears in a 5-run second, which began on a triple lost in the sun by South Bend left fielder Jose Escobar. Center fielder Asbel Gonzalez followed with an RBI single before Pelzer and Kemp again delivered run-scoring knocks of their own, expanding the River Bandit lead to nine.
Meanwhile, No. 4 Kansas City Royals prospect David Shields cruised through his first two innings on 20 pitches before hitting a wall in the third. The Cubs attacked him for eight runs, four of which were unearned, immediately drawing back within a 9-8 margin. Designated hitter Kane Kepley put South Bend on the board with an RBI double to the opposite field, and third baseman Matt Halbach later drilled another one. A Quad Cities throwing error would keep the inning alive for second baseman Alex Madera, who barely missed his first professional home run on a 2-run triple to left field. Catcher Justin Stransky drove him in on a single up the middle for the Cubs’ eighth run of the inning, which finally ended on a Kepley bunt with two runners in scoring position.
South Bend created additional scoring chances against River Bandit reliever Max Martin in the ensuing frames, but the right-hander wiggled out and produced 2.1 scoreless innings. The Cubs had runners on the corners with nobody out in the fourth, but a fielder’s choice and two flyouts left the tying run 90 feet away. South Bend placed another man at second base in the fifth, but a Kepley strikeout wrapped up the threat.
Quad Cities would make the Cubs pay for their missed chances in the bottom of the fifth, tagging righty reliever Ethan Bell for 4 runs. The inning began with an error and a catcher’s interference, digging a hole for Bell and the Cubs. Back-to-back walks loaded the bags later on for Pelzer, who dealt the game’s knockout punch, a bases-clearing double to right field, to finish the contest 4-for-4 with 5 RBI. Pitching with a 13-8 lead, right-hander Yimi Presinal closed the game for Quad Cities with a pair of perfect frames.
In the nightcap, the Cubs acted as the home team and turned to right-hander Mason McGwire for his first High-A start; McGwire delivered 5.0 innings with only 1 walk and 2 earned runs allowed. Quad Cities opened the scoring again with a pair of bunt-enabled runs in the second, but South Bend quickly pushed back against left-hander Cory Ronan. Catcher Miguel Useche tied the game with one swing in the bottom of the second, belting a two-run home run to left-center field. Left fielder Jose Escobar and second baseman Drew Bowser then drilled consecutive doubles to give South Bend its first lead of the day at 3-2.
A pickoff error and a wild pitch helped Quad Cities level the score again in the top of the third, but the tie game wouldn’t hold up. McGwire concluded his start by retiring eight consecutive hitters, allowing the Cubs to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Shortstop Ty Southisene ripped an RBI single to plate Kepley, who had used his wheels to beat out a potential double play and reach third on a wide pickoff throw earlier in the inning.
Up a run with the series lead on the line, the Cubs summoned right-hander Kenyi Perez, who had already struck out six in 2.0 hitless innings during his first appearance of the series on Tuesday. Perez had the goods again Friday night, locking down the save with five punchouts in another 2.0 hitless frames.
With South Bend leading the series 3-2, the Cubs and River Bandits will meet for their sixth game of the week at 6:30 PM ET on Saturday, June 6. Rehabbing righty Will Sanders is scheduled to start for South Bend against Quad Cities right-hander Blake Wolters.