Washer’s Walk-Off Homer Propels Cubs Past Sky Carp 5-3

South Bend, IN – The South Bend Cubs have a walk-off win for the first time in 2022, and it came with quite the exclamation point. In the series finale against the Beloit Sky Carp on Sunday at Four Winds Field, Jake Washer crushed two home runs in the game, with the last coming in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat Beloit 5-3.

It's the second consecutive day that the Cubs have come back to beat the Sky Carp, and also marks back-to-back days that a South Bend Cub has hammered two home runs. Yesterday, it was Matt Mervis being the hero. The Cubs first baseman drove the game winning home run out of the yard in the 8th inning on Saturday.

Washer’s walk-off came in the bottom of the 9th with two outs. But before that, the Cubs comeback had begun throughout the middle innings.

Big right-hander Max Bain got the start for the Cubs and faced the minimum through the first three innings. The Cubs broke the scoreless tally on the scoreboard open when Washer launched his first big fly of the day in the bottom of the 3rd. It was a solo shot, off of left-handed starter Zach King.

Beloit quickly answered back with three runs combined between the 4th and 5th innings. Cody Morissette roped a two-run home run off of Bain. The righty finished with three strikeouts in four innings of two run baseball. The first man out of the bullpen was 2022 South Bend opening day starter Chris Clarke.

A threat of rain existed all day, and a heavy shower finally passed through right when Clarke came in. Dark clouds hovered above Four Winds Field, and Clarke pitched in the rain for about five minutes before it came to a complete stop.

The Sky Carp manufactured their third run when Nasim Nunez stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error. Dalvy Rosario scored as the ball skipped into center field.

With Beloit up a run, the Cubs again scratched and clawed their way back. They immediately struck with an RBI single from Luis Verdugo, scoring Washer, who had doubled. Washer finished with three extra base hits, two of them being home runs.

After Clarke did not allow a run in the next three innings, hard throwing righty Nicholas Padilla fired a scoreless top of the 9th.

Down to their final three outs, the Cubs got things started in the bottom of the 9th against big right-hander Brady Puckett. Puckett walked Alexander Canario to start, then Canario was thrown out at home plate trying to score from first base on a Fabian Pertuz double. With Pertuz standing in scoring position, Ed Howard walked. Eventually, the Cubs were down to their final chance with Washer at the plate.

A no-doubt blast was carried into left-center. With the wind blowing directly out to center, baseballs carried on Sunday. Washer’s was no different. A jumping group of Cubs were awaiting the South Bend catcher as he trotted around the base-paths. He was mobbed at home plate with water coolers and sunflower seeds.

Now with their first series win of the season, the Cubs will take Monday off and be ready to go in Davenport, Iowa against the Quad Cities River Bandits on Tuesday night. South Bend will take their 7-8 record as they head west.