McKeon's 3 Extra-Base Hits Lift Cubs To Series Victory

SOUTH BEND, IN - Once again the Cubs struck early and never looked back, taking down the Chiefs and winning their 6-game set by taking the final two games.

Scott McKeon led the way for the Cubs offensively with a 3-for-3 day that included two triples, three runs scored, and three runs driven in. McKeon had one triple in 106 games in his pro career entering Sunday and then tallied two in the first three innings. He led off the Cubs half of the first inning with a bloop triple down the line in right that took a funky bounce on Tyler Reichenborn, and the relay to third base was launched over Osvaldo Tovalin, bringing McKeon home on a little league style homer.

The Cubs doubled the lead with McKeon's second triple, which scored Liam Spence from first base two innings later.

Richard Gallardo dealt for South Bend, tossing six innings of shutout baseball. For the fourth time in his first five starts Gallardo managed to go at least five innings and allow one run or fewer. Gallardo allowed four hits, walked one, and punched out five, working a season-high in innings for a Cubs pitcher. Gallardo went 11 innings in the series and allowed just one run.

Alex Cornwell settled in after giving up three runs in the first three innings for Peoria. But the Cubs got to him for one more run in the sixth, and again it was a triple that led to a Cubs rally. This time the three-bagger came courtesy of Kevin Made with two outs, he scored one batter later on a Casey Opitz single into shallow left-center. Opitz shined as well with a 3-for-4 effort, an RBI, and his first stolen base of the season.

Peoria quickly got to the Cubs bullpen in the seventh. Bailey Reid came on for Gallardo and allowed the first three batters to reach, with Thomas Francisco doubling home the Chiefs first run. Chase Watkins came in from there and allowed a single to the first batter he faced in Tovalin, scoring another run.

South Bend's lead all of a sudden looked rather precarious at 4-2, while the Chiefs had runners at first at third and no one out. Reichenborn tried to drop down a bunt but blooped it into the air, Watkins made a sliding catch, doubled up Tovalin at first, and almost got a triple play on Spence's throw back across the diamond to third. Noah Medlinger grounded out to short and the inning ended.

That's as close as the Cubs would let Peoria get. South Bend added three more runs in the eighth to break the game open again. McKeon doubled in two, Christian Franklin singled in McKeon, and the first four batters reached against Bryan Pope in the seventh.

The visitors managed a run in the eighth and ninth but Nathan Church, representing the tying run, flew out to Kevin Alcántara in center to end the game.

NEXT UP: Tuesday at 6:05 ET vs Cedar Rapids.