Comeback Cut Short as Lugnuts Escape in 8-7 Finale

Lansing, MI - No matter what happened on Sunday afternoon up in the capital of Michigan, the South Bend Cubs were going to take a series win away from the Lansing Lugnuts. That, after an exuberant comeback versus Lansing on Saturday night. Sunday was almost the same type of story, as Lansing survived a 9th inning South Bend rally to win 8-7.

For the fourth time in five games played this week, Brett Bateman reached base to begin the game in the top of the 1st. It came on a sliced double up the line in left field, and the Cubs were in business early. South Bend took a 1-0 lead in the 1st after Lansing starter Luis Morales balked with Bateman at third base.

Morales locked in from that point, pitching versus South Bend for the second time in a week. The Oakland Athletics number-two overall prospect allowed that singular run in 2.1 innings. He was brought off the hook thanks to big rallies by Lansing in the 3rd and 4th.

Tyler Schlaffer got the start for the Cubs, and surrendered four runs on one swing when Euribiel Angeles mashed a grand slam over the left field wall. It was the only home run the Cubs gave up in six games this series.

With a 4-1 game, South Bend was quick to answer. After an error was made by the Lugnuts, the next batter was Felix Stevens, who clubbed his third home run of the week on a two-run shot to make it 4-3.

Lansing immediately went back to work however. Four more runs for the Lugnuts drove the lead up to 8-3.

Thanks to a strong bullpen performance, South Bend stayed in the game. Right-hander Aaron Perry made his Chicago Cubs organization debut with two shutout innings out of the bullpen. Perry, the Hurricane, West Virginia native, fired the two innings with three hits, a walk, and two strikeouts added to his line.

Also out of the bullpen, Mitchell Tyranski produced another nice outing. The free agent pick up from the Los Angeles Dodgers spun together two shutout innings of his own to send the game to the late innings.

With an RBI base hit from Casey Opitz, and another run scoring on a double play, South Bend was back within three runs at 8-5.

Then came the top of the 9th. Right-hander Hunter Breault, who worked the save in the game on Thursday, walked the first two of the 9th inning. Lansing made a pitching change, and brought aboard lefty Colton Johnson.

Immediately against Johnson, Reivaj Garcia looped a bouncing ball up the line in right to score a run. South Bend then got another tally on a RBI groundout from Bateman. 8-7.

With the tying run at third, Pedro Ramirez struck out for the first time this week, ending his long hitting streak at 12 games. Jefferson Rojas came up and hammered a ball to the left-center field gap, but it was tracked down and caught, and Lansing survived.

With the loss, the Cubs will take a 10-17 record back home in time to square off with the Cedar Rapids Kernels starting Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. Still, it's the team's first series win of the season in Lansing, winning four of six games.