Hedges Halts Hot Rods in Series Opener

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - South Bend starting pitcher Zach Hedges tossed five shutout innings and left fielder Charcer Burks drove in two runs to power the Cubs past Bowling Green, 3-2, on Thursday night at Bowling Green Ballpark in the series opener.

Bowling Green (17-11) had won six of its last seven games and sits atop the Eastern Division. Hedges (2-1, 2.77 ERA) allowed just three hits and fanned four en route to his second win of the season. The Cubs (15-13) scored twice in the second and once in the sixth, and relievers Ryan McNeil (two innings), Jordan Minch (1.2 innings) and James Farris (third save of the season) tidied up the victory.

The Cubs loaded the bases in the top of the first inning thanks to two walks and a single. But Bowling Green starter Henry Centeno worked out of trouble. South Bend loaded the bases again to start the second, and Burks sprayed a two-run single to center field to prop South Bend to a 2-0 advantage. The 20-year old outfielder has collected 10 hits in his last five games.

The Hot Rods notched three hits in the second to load the bases themselves, but Hedges induced a pop-up and a groundout to maintain the 2-0 lead.

After stranding five base-runners in the first two innings, South Bend struggled to mount much offense against Centeno and reliever Hunter Wood. Burks worked a walk in the fourth, but South Bend was hitless for three-plus innings until third baseman Jesse Hodges rapped a wall-ball double to the right-center field gap to start the sixth. Hedges, meanwhile, settled in following the second stanza. The lanky righty didn't allow a hit against the final 12 Hot Rods he faced.

After his double in the sixth, Hodges moved to third on an infield single by right fielder Jeffrey Baez and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of center fielder Rashad Crawford, pushing the Cubs ahead 3-0.

Bowling Green cracked the scoreboard in the sixth against Cubs right-handed reliever Ryan McNeil. No. 3 hitter Grant Kay smacked a one-out triple to left field and scored on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Casey Gillaspie.

The Cubs loaded the bases in the seventh but again came up empty, leaving their eighth, ninth and 10th runners on base.

Gillaspie pulled the Hot Rods within one, 3-2, in the bottom of the eighth inning with a sacrifice fly to right field. But Minch recorded the first two outs in the ninth inning before ceding to right-hander James Farris. The former Arizona standout needed just one pitch to record the final out and cement the victory.

South Bend and Bowling Green return to Bowling Green Ballpark for the middle game Friday at 8:05 p.m. ET. Cubs right-hander Trevor Clifton (1-1, 2.70 ERA) will start opposite Hot Rods righty Chris Pike (3-1, 3.15 ERA).