On a rainy Thursday evening at Four Winds Field, the South Bend Cubs (12-9) fell behind in their series against the Fort Wayne TinCaps (9-16) with a 6-1 loss. Fort Wayne pitching extended its success from the second half of Wednesday’s win, limiting the Cubs to four hits with no walks prior to the ninth inning.
Click here to view Thursday’s box score.
The TinCaps took a great offensive approach to their night against South Bend starting pitcher Koen Moreno, who allowed five runs in 4.2 innings. The right-hander surrendered seven hits, as the TinCaps mixed loud contact with humble singles to score in four consecutive innings. By the midway point of the game, they led by a 5-0 score.
After Moreno opened with a 1-2-3 first inning, the TinCaps started the scoring in the second, turning designated hitter Alex McCoy’s leadoff triple into a run. In the third, shortstop Jonathan Vastine’s one-out double became another run via a sacrifice fly. First baseman Jack Costello made it 3-0 with a bloop single in the fourth, besting Moreno in a seven-pitch at bat. The TinCaps knocked Moreno out of the game in the fifth on a two-run home run to left from second baseman Rosman Verdugo, his third long ball of the season.
Fort Wayne starting pitcher Carson Montgomery made the most of his consistent run support, producing five scoreless innings without a walk. The right-hander, in just his fourth start since returning from Tommy John surgery, used two early double plays to spark his outing and earn his first professional win. The Cubs had a runner in scoring position against him in both the second and the fifth, but strikeouts and a double play negated those opportunities.
The only Cubs run came from Leonel Espinoza, who came off the bench in an unfortunate circumstance after designated hitter Reggie Preciado was hit by a pitch in the second. Espinoza arrived ready to play, though, ripping an opposite-way double in his first plate appearance in the fifth. Three innings later, he came up again and lofted his first Four Winds Field home run to left field. The round-tripper, Espinoza’s second of the year, brought the Cubs within a 5-1 score.
The TinCaps would restore their five-run lead in the ninth with an RBI double from third baseman Zach Evans. However, before that, South Bend righty relievers Nate Williams and Ethan Bell combined for 3.1 scoreless innings.
In the bottom of the ninth, left-hander Igor Gil nearly invited the Cubs back into the affair, walking the bases loaded before inducing a game-ending double play.
With Fort Wayne now leading the series 2-1, the Cubs and TinCaps will square off again at 7:05 PM on Friday, May 1. It’ll be an elite matchup on the mound between South Bend’s Brooks Caple, already a Midwest League Pitcher of the Week recipient this season, and No. 4 Padres prospect Kash Mayfield.