Cubs Win, Move Into First Place

Des Moines, IA - Brian Bogusevic, Junior Lake, and Donnie Murphy combined for 10 hits to lead the Iowa Cubs (36-38) over the Nashville Sounds (25-48) 6-4 on Thursday night at Principal Park. The win - combined with a Memphis loss - gives Iowa a half game lead in the American Northern Division. The Cubs lead the series 3-1 heading into Friday night's double-header to conclude the 10-game home stand.

Bogusevic went 4-for-4 with a double, one RBI, and two runs to lead the Cubs offensively. It was his first four-hit game of the season, and team-leading 22nd multi-hit game of the year. Lake and Murphy each added three hits and two RBI on the night. The three combined for 10 of Iowa's 11 hits.

The Cubs got out to a 3-0 lead thanks to a pair of two-out base hits by Lake and Murphy in the first. Bogusevic singled through the right side of the infield and Steve Clevenger followed with a walk, representing the first two runs. Lake, who has reached base safely in 15 of 16 games with Iowa this season, drove in Bogusevic for the opening run on a grounder up the middle. Murphy cleared the bases with a double down the left field line in the next at-bat to give the Cubs the three-run advantage.

Luis Flores walked to lead off both the second and fourth innings. Flores was called out at the plate after charging around third base on a Bogusevic single to right field in the second, but was able to tack on the Cubs' fourth run when Bogusevic doubled to the gap in left-center in the fourth.

The Cubs never trailed in the game.

The Sounds came to within one run twice after scoring two runs in the fourth and another in the fifth on starter Yoanner Negrin. Negrin went a season-high eight innings in just his fifth start of the year. He finished the night allowing four runs on nine hits and fanned seven to pick up his second win of the season.

Hanging on to a 4-3 lead in the seventh, Iowa found some breathing room with runs by Bogusevic and Dave Sappelt. Bogusevic smacked his fourth hit of the game through the gap at third and scored two batters later when Sappelt tripled to the corner in left field. Lake drove in Sappelt with a flare to right to extend the Iowa lead to 6-3.

The Sounds added a run in the eighth but Brian Schlitter pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his fifth save of the season and preserve the Cubs' sixth win in eight games during the home stand.

RH Guillermo Moscoso (2-5, 4.88 ERA) will start game one on Friday for Iowa against RH R.J. Seidel (1-3, 5.45 ERA) for Nashville. RH Johnnie Lowe (0-1, 3.72 ERA) will start game two for the Sounds. The game will be broadcast live on AM 940, and streamed at iowacubs.com, with the pre-game show starting at 5:00.