Streaking Cubs stay hot in Lakeland
Lakeland, FL - Despite allowing the first two Lakeland batters of the game to score, LHP Austin Kirk pitched the Daytona Cubs to their fifth straight win Thursday night by a 6-2 score over the Flying Tigers in the first game of a three-game series at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Kirk was able to scatter ten hits through six innings without walking a batter, and recorded the fourth quality start in the last five games for Cubs pitching. The southpaw struck out four and was helped by some stellar defensive plays all over the field.
Over the course of the winning streak, Cubs starters have sizzled, compiling a 1.55 ERA in 29 innings while striking out 27.
The offense continued its balanced attack, with every member of Daytona's lineup reaching base, and all but two doing so via a hit. INF Stephen Bruno and INF Dustin Geiger had two hits each and scored three of the Cubs' six runs.
After Kirk allowed the two first-inning runs, four straight one-out singles along with a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly led to three Cubs runs that gave Daytona a lead it would not relinquish.
A hit-and-run single by Geiger in the fourth moved Bruno to third, who came home on a wild pitch by Lakeland starter RHP Drew VerHagen. INF Javier Baez drove in his 18th run of the season in the fifth, with Bruno following with a run-scoring double two batters later.
Not to be outdone by the starting rotation, the Cubs bullpen of RHP Austin Reed and RHP David Cales threw three scoreless innings to close the game, allowing only two singles and two walks.
Daytona turned two double plays in the field, and only one Flying Tiger got as far as third base after the third batter of the game. OF Jeff McVaney tripled to lead off the 4th with the score 4-2, but was caught too far off third base on OF Michael Hernandez's infield single and was tagged out after a brief rundown.
Along with some great defensive plays, INF Anthony Giansanti had his second straight multi-hit game and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
The win runs the Cubs' record to 15-12 and 8-4 on the road this season. Game two of the series will take place tomorrow night at 7:11 p.m. at Joker Marchant Stadium with RHP P.J. Francescon on the mound for Daytona and RHP Wilsen Palacios opposing for Lakeland.