Ben Ross Homer Helps Kernels Tighten Grasp on First

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - With the game tied 1-1, Ben Ross launched a towering three-run blast to left-center in the fifth inning on Wednesday afternoon. The homer for Cedar Rapids came right after Emmanuel Rodriguez had tied the game with a bloop single down the right field line. The four-spot in the fifth inning, all of which were unearned as the inning was prolonged due to a Fabian Pertuz error, proved too much for the Cubs to overcome.

Luis Devers returned to the hill for his second start since coming off the Injured List. The Cubs 2022 Minor League Pitcher of the Year looked far closer to his typical dominant self than what we saw last week. The control certainly lacked at times, with the 23-year-old walking two and plunking a pair in four innings. But Devers managed to work through it and give the Cubs a chance with four scoreless innings.

Cory Lewis took the ball for the Kernels for just his second Midwest League start. After not allowing a run against Dayton last week, the tall righty from UCSB shined again. He tossed five innings allowing just one run, while striking out nine of the 17 batters he faced.

South Bend got to Lewis in the fifth and briefly took a 1-0 lead. Kevin Made worked a two-out walk, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored on a Casey Opitz shallow single into left.

After the Kernels put up a four-run fifth inning, they tacked on with an Andrew Cossetti opposite field blast the following inning. Chase Watkins entered for the seventh after Tyler Santana tossed the fifth and sixth inning, with Santana allowing four total runs, only one of which was earned. Watkins gave up two runs in the eighth coming on an RBI single from Missael Urbina and an RBI double from Cossetti off the wall in left.

The Cubs scored the last run of the game in the ninth. Kevin Alcántara doubled to the alley in left-center field and then scored on an errant throw to first from Tanner Schobel.