Evan-Edgar-Egbert Trio Guides Cubs to 1-0 Shutout of Quad Cities

The South Bend Cubs (39-61) earned their fourth shutout win of the season Saturday at Four Winds Field, defeating the Quad Cities River Bandits (59-41) by a 1-0 score. Two Cub pitchers, Evan Aschenbeck and Kenten Egbert, combined to lock down the River Bandits on the mound. At the plate, left fielder Edgar Alvarez finished with four hits, hammering the game-winning home run in the sixth inning.

Click here to view Saturday’s box score.

The starting pitchers, both left-handers, turned in very similar outings to take a scoreless game into the sixth inning. Each of them entered the night with earned run averages below 3.00 and lowered those marks with 9.2 combined scoreless innings.

South Bend’s Evan Aschenbeck, who had his previous turn in the rotation skipped for purposes of rest, returned with a vengeance. He retired each of the first 10 River Bandits he faced, ultimately dealing with only three baserunners and striking out five in 5.1 shutout frames. Aschenbeck departed with a man on base and one out in the top of the sixth, handing the ball to right-hander Kenten Egbert, who walked his first batter before buckling down to hang a zero.

For Quad Cities, starting pitcher Mason Miller covered 4.1 innings without a run allowed, striking out six. After working a 1-2-3 first frame, he faced danger in the second and fourth innings. In the second, each of the Cubs’ first two hitters reached base, but a double play neutralized their threat. In the fourth, a one-out double went by the wayside with a groundout and strikeout. Right-hander Andrew Morones took over for Miller with one out in the fifth, facing the top of South Bend’s order and leaving two Cubs on base.

With a 0-0 game still going, Morones returned to the rubber in the bottom of the sixth. Though he retired his first hitter, the next man broke the scoreless deadlock. Alvarez, who had already singled and doubled to achieve a 24-game on-base streak, unleashed one of his biggest swings of the season. He ripped a solo home run to right field, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead with his sixth long ball of the year.

Thanks to the work of Egbert, the Alvarez blast ended up being enough for the Cubs. Egbert, whose last appearance on the mound was a six-inning start in Dayton, looked even better as a reliever Saturday night. He dominated the River Bandits, posting 3.2 innings of two-hit baseball to finish the game and earn the winning decision.

The Cubs and River Bandits will wrap up the series at 2:05 PM on Sunday. South Bend will play for the split behind right-hander Yenrri Rojas, while Quad Cities will go for the series win with righty Emmanuel Reyes.