The South Bend Cubs (51-35) earned a three-game series win on Sunday afternoon at Four Winds Field, shutting out the Peoria Chiefs (41-48) by a 7-0 score. The Cubs finish the season series against Peoria with a head-to-head record of 10-5, and they own the 2026 season series against three Midwest League teams.
Click here to view Sunday’s box score.
The day started with a pitching standoff between two right-handers with the same last name. South Bend’s Kohl Franklin and Peoria’s Tanner Franklin each delivered 4.1 strong innings, taking a scoreless game into the fifth inning. Kohl Franklin, a two-time Midwest League Champion with the South Bend Cubs, did not allow a run and struck out four as he continued his rehab assignment. Tanner Franklin, a top-10 St. Louis Cardinals prospect, matched him with four strikeouts.
The game changed in the fifth inning, as both teams went to their bullpens with a runner on first and one out. For South Bend, right-hander Eli Jerzembeck loaded the bases and escaped the jam by inducing a groundout. For Peoria, right-hander Gerardo Salas loaded the bases and allowed five runs to score. Center fielder Kane Kepley dropped a beauty of a bunt single with the bags packed, producing the game’s first run.
The five-run rally continued with a chaotic play, as first baseman Josiah Hartshorn grounded a ball towards the second-base bag with the bases loaded. Peoria shortstop Anyelo Encarnacion tried to beat Kepley to the bag for the third out but failed, instead attempting a throw to first that skipped out of play and allowed three runs to score. Left fielder Jose Escobar provided run number five, drilling an RBI single into right-center field.
South Bend kept rolling in the next two innings, going up 6-0 in the sixth on a home run. On the second pitch from new reliever Bobby Olsen, shortstop Angel Cepeda blasted his first Four Winds Field long ball to left-center field. In the following frame, Escobar picked up his third hit and second RBI of the day, scoring right fielder Christian Olivo on another single.
The shutout went final thanks to 4.2 scoreless innings from the South Bend bullpen. After Jerzembeck’s great escape in the fifth, big lefty Pierce Coppola made his Four Winds Field debut, delivering 3.0 shutout frames. Right-hander Kenten Egbert sealed the series win with a scoreless ninth, bringing the Cubs to 51 wins on the year.
The Cubs will continue their nine-game homestand with a six-game series against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, beginning at 7:05 PM on Tuesday, July 21. South Bend and Wisconsin have the two best overall records in the Midwest League West Division.