Mozzicato’s Gem Squandered in Loss to Cubs

South Bend, Indiana – Royals No. 4 prospect (MLB Pipeline) Frank Mozzicato tossed his third-straight scoreless start on Friday, but it wasn’t enough as Quad Cities fell to South Bend 7-4 at Four Winds Field. The defeat evens the Bandits’ six-game series with the Cubs at two games apiece and marks Quad Cities’ first set of back-to-back losses since April 10.

In a game that began as a pitcher’s duel, South Bend had no answers for Mozzicato, who twirled 5.0 shutout innings with five strikeouts and allowed just three total base runners. With the effort, the former seventh overall pick has now opened the season with a Midwest League-best 14.0 consecutive scoreless innings, while surrendering just three hits through three starts for a 0.71 opponent batting average.

The left-hander departed in line for the win with Quad Cities ahead 1-0 after five, but South Bend wasted no time breaking into the run column against the bullpen, tagging Chazz Martinez and Chase Wallace for a six-run sixth inning.

Jared Dickey (2) helped keep the Bandits in the game with a two-run homer in the eighth and Deivis Nadal recorded his first multi-hit game of the year—including his league-leading third triple of the campaign—but the Bandits stranded seven men on base and went hitless with runners in scoring position for the second-straight night (0-for-10).

Despite allowing three runs and six base runners out of the bullpen, Tyler Santana (2-1) earned the win for the Cubs with 4.2-innings of relief, while Chazz Martinez (0-2) blew a save and was saddled with the loss for the Bandits. The right-hander allowed five runs and recorded just one out in the sixth inning. Joe Nahas (2) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn a save for South Bend.

Parker Harm was the only River Bandits reliever to not allow a run on the evening, working around a pair of walks in a scoreless eighth to lower his ERA to 1.80.

With the series knotted up, Quad Cities will send Henry Williams (1-0, 0.64) to the mound on Saturday for a start against South Bend’s Luis Devers (0-0, 3.13). First pitch at Four Winds Field is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.