I-Cubs Edged by Rainiers in Series Opener

(Dylan Heuer)

June 16, 2018

TACOMA, WA - For the opener of a four-game set in the Greater Northwest, the Iowa Cubs (25-41) fell victim to a three-run eighth inning rally by the Tacoma Rainiers (35-34) in a 5-4 loss on Friday night at Cheney Stadium.

Despite the loss, the Cubs got the scoring started in the first inning with back-to-back solo homers by designated hitter Victor Caratini and second basemen David Bote to take an early 2-0 lead. The consecutive homers by Bote and Caratini marked the first time this season the Iowa Cubs have hit back-to-back homers.
Caratini continued his career day into the third inning with another solo homer for the first multi-homer game of his career. The 24-year-old catcher finished the game 4-for-4 at the plate with a double and three runs scored. Caratini also drew a walk to reach base in all five plate appearances and raised his batting average to .348 in 17 games since being optioned to Iowa three weeks ago from the Cubs.
Aside from Caratini and Bote, the Cubs got their only other run in the eighth inning on a RBI single by catcher Taylor Davis.
Down 4-2 going into the bottom of the eighth, Tacoma scored three runs on just one hit to take the lead for good. The Rainiers scored their game-winning run on a RBI single by infielder Zach Vincej.
Offensively for the Rainiers, former I-Cub John Andreoli went 2-for-4 with a double, stolen base and two runs scored against his former team.
Anthony McIver (W, 1-0) picked up the victory in relief for Tacoma while Shawn Armstrong (S, 2) sent down the Cubs scoreless in the ninth to notch the save.
For Iowa, Trevor Clifton gave up just two runs (one earned) in 5.2 innings pitched during his second Triple-A outing. The 23-year-old righty also gave up just five hits while striking out five batters and walking only two hitters. Clifton has a 2.79 ERA over his first two starts with Iowa this season.
Iowa and Tacoma play the second of the four games at Cheney Stadium tomorrow at 3:35 p.m. CT. Follow the action on www.iowacubs.com, AM 940, or MiLB.TV.