The South Bend Cubs (55-35) won their series against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (48-41) in thrilling fashion on Friday night at Four Winds Field, walking off for a 9-8 victory in 11 innings. Catcher Justin Stransky capped off a three-run rally in the 11th with a game-winning single, providing the Cubs with their long-awaited first walk-off win of 2026.
Click here to view Friday’s box score.
For the second consecutive night, the Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Wisconsin left-hander J.D. Thompson allowed the first two South Bend hitters of the game to reach. The next batter, second baseman Jose Escobar, rolled what could have been a double play up the middle. However, Wisconsin second baseman Daniel Dickinson had the ball trickle through his legs, allowing center fielder Kane Kepley to score. Later in the inning, the Cubs loaded the bases with one out, but Thompson struck out back-to-back hitters to prevent an additional run.
Right-hander Alfredo Romero made the start for South Bend, delivering 4.2 innings with five strikeouts and one earned run allowed. That one earned run occurred in the fourth inning, as Dickinson helped Wisconsin tie the game with a leadoff double. The Cubs nearly threw Dickinson out at the plate on a grounder, but Stransky couldn’t handle the throw home, allowing the tying run to score.
The Cubs answered right back against Wisconsin righty reliever Jayden Dubanewicz in the bottom of the fourth, taking a 2-1 lead. Dubanewicz started the inning on a roll, striking out two hitters easily before getting to an 0-2 count on first baseman Michael Carico. However, Carico ripped a two-strike offering to straightaway right field, narrowly clearing the fence on a low liner for his first High-A home run. Dubanewicz walked back-to-back Cubs after the long ball, but an eight-pitch strikeout of top Cubs prospect Josiah Hartshorn bailed him out of the inning.
With the arrival of the fifth inning, Friday’s game took on a new life, producing a string of odd plays. In the top of the fifth, Romero sat on the verge of completing 5.0 innings with two outs and a man on second. He got the ground ball he needed, but third baseman Michael Hallquist became distracted by the runner at second, missing out on the obvious play at first. That eventually led to a bases-loaded, game-tying walk from right-hander Adam Stone, as Romero couldn’t get out of the inning after the defensive mistake behind him.
The 2-2 tie remained until a zany bottom of the sixth inning, when the Cubs loaded the bases with two outs against Dubanewicz. Along the way, a pop fly from Kepley should have become the third out, but Wisconsin’s catcher and first baseman looked at one another and allowed the ball to drop in foul territory. That allowed Hartshorn to later come up and single off diving shortstop Daniel Guilarte, who knocked the ball toward Dickinson at second base. Carico scored to take the lead, and Stransky attempted to make it home from second base. Dickinson made a sufficient throw home, but he forced his catcher to slide for the ball, allowing Stransky to jump over the tag, land on the plate, and finish an electric play.
With lefty Cole Reynolds on the South Bend mound, Wisconsin came back with another two-run infield single that tied the game in the seventh. Designated hitter Luis Pena missed a home run by inches in right-center, leading off with a double that preceded center fielder Braylon Payne’s walk. Those two would each score on shortstop Daniel Guilarte’s infield hit, as a full count with two outs afforded each runner a jumpstart on the pitch.
Reynolds bounced back nicely with a 1-2-3 eighth inning, allowing his offense to earn the lead again in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Kepley reached for the fifth time in the game, taking first base on catcher’s interference. A balk then sent him to second, allowing Hartshorn to knock a go-ahead RBI single into right-center field.
Still working against Reynolds, Wisconsin evened the score once again with two outs in the top of the ninth. Three walks, including an intentional free pass, loaded the bases with two retired and the Cubs clinging to a 5-4 lead. On came right-hander Kenten Egbert, who issued a four-pitch walk to Guilarte, forcing in the tying run. Egebert then fell behind 3-1 to third baseman Luis Lameda before getting him to ground out and keeping the game tied.
The Cubs had a chance to walk off Wisconsin in the bottom of the ninth, as left fielder Kade Snell reached on an error to lead off and advanced to second with one out. However, left-hander José Meneses saved the game and moved it into extra innings by retiring Carico and Stransky.
Both teams scored in the 10th, as Meneses and Egbert remained on the mound. For Wisconsin, catcher Yannic Walther provided the lead with a sacrifice fly to center. Hartshorn answered for the Cubs with a game-tying single, collecting his fourth RBI of the night.
The floodgates opened in the decisive 11th, with Yerlin Rodriguez on the bump for Wisconsin and Nate Williams pitching for South Bend. Williams was a strike away from hanging a zero in the top of the inning, only until Guilarte poked a two-run double down the right-field line. Entering the bottom of the 11th, the Cubs faced a challenging 8-6 deficit.
South Bend’s top-prospect-littered offense went right to work against Rodriguez. Snell punched an RBI double up the right-center alley, moving the tying run to third base and pulling into second as the winning run with nobody out. After designated hitter Logan Poteet’s game-tying sacrifice fly, it looked as if Wisconsin might survive and get to the 12th. Stransky had other plans. With two outs, the catcher hooked a 3-2 pitch inside the left-field line, scoring Snell from second and winning the game.
With South Bend having already won the series, the Cubs and Timber Rattlers will meet again at 7:05 PM on Saturday, July 25. Rehabbing right-hander Kohl Franklin is scheduled to pitch for South Bend against Wisconsin righty Josh Knoth.