South Bend falls 12-1 to Bowling Green Hot Rods
SOUTH BEND, IND - The South Bend Cubs dropped one at home to the Bowling Green Hot Rods 12-1 tonight in a game where the Cubs had nearly as many hits as the Hot Rods. "A game like that is a tough one," Manager Jimmy Gonzalez said "Guys were swingin the bats well just not in the crucial times." The Cubs had 12 hits but only 1 run to show for it and left 14 men on base. The Hot Rods had 12 runs on 13 hits.
Preston Morrison (2.2 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs, 2 strikeouts, 2 walks) struggled through the early innings giving up a hit to lead off the first three innings and giving up runs in the 1st and 3rd innings. A line drive base hit by Joe McCarthy (1-of-2 w/ 3 walks, 1 RBI) in the first scored Jake Cronenworth (2-of-4 w/ 1 walk, 1 RBI) who hit a grounder through the right side to start off the game.
In the 3rd Angel Moreno (2-of-5 w/ 2 RBIs, 2 runs) started the inning off with a hit and then stole a base to get in to scoring position. After a walk by Cronenworth, Zacrey Law (1-of-5 w/ 1 RBI, 1 run) singled to score Moreno and move Cronenworth to second. Joe McCarthy would then come up and walk to load the bases for Manny Sanchez (1-of-3 w/ 1 HR, 2 RBIs 2 runs) who lifted a ball out to left center on a sacrifice fly to score Cronenworth and move Law to 3rd leaving men on the corners. Brett Sullivan (3-of-4 w/ 2 runs, 2 RBIs) would then come up to hit in Law extending the lead to 4. Morrison would see one more batter in Kevin Padlo (0-of-3 1 RBI) who would hit a soft grounder to Matt Rose (1-of-4 w/ 1 walk) and Casey Bloomquist (2.1 innings, 5 hits, 6 runs, 2 strikeouts, 1 walk) would finish the inning.
In the top of the 5th Bloomquist would have struggles of his own as the Hot Rods would score 6 more runs to take a 10 to nothing lead. McCarthy would walk and Sanchez would get hit by a pitch to put 2 on for the Hot Rods. A pickoff error by Bloomquist would move McCarthy and Sanchez to 2nd and 3rd with one out. A base up the middle by Sullivan would Score McCarthy and move Sanchez to 3rd and put runners at the corners for Kevin Padlo. Padlo would fly to left to score Manny Sanchez on a sacrifice fly and make the second out of the inning. Peter Maris (2-of-4 w/ 1 RBI, 1 run) would get a base hit to move Sullivan to 3rd for Perez who would drive in Sullivan on a base hit to right field. The hitting would continue for the Hot Rods with Moreno doubling to score Maris and Perez. Leadoff hitter Cronenworth would single up the middle to score the final run of the inning in Moreno. Zacrey Law would end the inning on a ground out to Bryant Flete.
The Hot Rods would add one more run in the 6th inning scoring on a Peter Maris walk that scored Joe McCarthy with the bases loaded and 2 outs.
The Cubs finally got on the board in the 7th inning after PJ Higgins (2-of-4 w/ 1 run, 1 walk) led off with a single who moved over to 3rd on outs from Daniel Spingola (3-of-5) and Eloy Jimenez (0-of-5) where Eddy Martinez (1-of-5 w/ 1 RBI) singled in to left to hit him in. The Hot Rods would answer right back in the next half inning on a home run to left field from Manny Sanchez.
The Cubs hitting did continue and they hope tomorrow to string more of those hits together. They will get a chance at revenge tomorrow night, a 7:05 first pitch at Four Winds Field.