Beloit, WI - The South Bend Cubs four-game losing streak has come to an end, in a game that took over a two-day span to complete. After the Cubs and the Beloit Sky Carp played a single inning on Friday night and then were suspended due to rain, the two Midwest League West Division rivals got together again on Independence Day Saturday, with the Cubs outlasting the Sky Carp in the remaining eight innings by a final of 7-3.
Top Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins started the game for the Cubs on Friday night, and lefty Nate Payne was the starter for Beloit. Neither pitcher returned to the mound, of course, when the game picked back up at 3:00 PM CST on the Fourth of July. At the time of the restart in the top of the 2nd inning, Beloit led the game 1-0.
South Bend came up against new Sky Carp pitcher Liomar Martinez and got to him right away. Two walks to Michael Carico and Christian Olivo brought up Kane Kepley. The number-six Chicago Cubs prospect took Martinez deep, driving a two-run homer out of the yard for a 3-1 lead.
The Cubs sent lefty Ethan Flanagan to the mound to begin the resumption of the suspended game. Flanagan worked a shutout 2nd inning, and South Bend added onto its lead with a bases loaded walk to Carico in the top of the 3rd. Beloit got as close as they would the rest of the day thanks to a two-run homer by Carter Johnson. In the game, Johnson had a pair of home runs; One in the 1st inning on Friday night, and then his 3rd inning drive on Saturday. It was 4-3 Cubs heading to the middle innings.
From there, two things stayed the same for multiple innings. The Cubs struggled with men on base, and the Sky Carp could do nothing against Flanagan, and then righty Brayden Spears.
With the Cubs leaving the bases loaded in the 3rd inning, they would go on to leave 11 on the base paths until the 8th inning. In total for the game, South Bend left 17 men on base. From a pitching standpoint, Flanagan continued to dominate. After the Johnson homer, Flanagan sent down 11 Beloit hitters in a row. After Spears entered the game, he would retire the 12th straight Sky Carp player.
South Bend picked up their much-needed insurance in the top of the 8th, scoring three more times. One came via a Matt Halbach bases loaded walk, and then two more were knocked in by Christian Olivo on a base-hit up the middle.
Up 7-3, Spears worked shutout innings in the 8th and the 9th, sending the Sky Carp down 1-2-3 to end the game.
Flanagan earned his first Midwest League win, and Spears’ 3.1 innings awarded him the save. The Cubs improve to 6-7 in the second-half, and 45-30 in total on the season.
Due to the team’s only playing the conclusion of Friday’s suspended game on Saturday afternoon, the Cubs and Sky Carp will make up Saturday’s game in a doubleheader on Sunday. First pitch in game one of the twin-bill to wrap up the series is set for 2:05 PM EST. If South Bend can pick up two wins in the doubleheader, they would split the six-game series versus Beloit after losing the first three games.