Comeback Falls Short in Cubs 13-10 Loss to Loons

BOX SCORE

SOUTH BEND, IN – Saturday night the Cubs and Loons played a marathon deep into the night at Four Winds Field in front of a crowd of 4,285.

A back-and-forth affair was ultimately decided in the eighth inning when Great Lakes put up seven runs. The visitors trailed 8-6 going into the inning but the first three batters all reached on walks from Hunter Bigge. After a visit to the mound, Eddys Leonard and Jose Ramos both singled in a run to tie it and forced the Cubs to make another move to the bullpen.

Didier Vargas entered and allowed a pair of doubles to Ryan January and Juan Zabala. The final run of the inning came on a wild pitch, scoring Imanol Vargas from third.

Great Lakes scored four runs in the first inning but the Cubs, who have made a habit of coming back from large deficits this season, pounced right back with eight unanswered in the next five frames.

Jordan Nwogu thrived at the plate this evening. The former Michigan Wolverine homered in the first inning and ripped a ground-rule double to the opposite field in the third that plated a pair. Fabian Pertuz gave the Cubs their first lead with a two-run single in the next frame.

With the bases loaded in the fifth inning Jonathan Sierra delivered what felt like the final blow, a three-run double out to left field that gave the Cubs their biggest lead of the night at 8-4.

But credit the Loons who chipped away in the sixth and then exploded offensively in the eighth.

South Bend loaded the bases in the eighth inning and Yohendrick Pinango, after fouling away pitch after pitch with two strikes, scorched a ball into right to bring the deficit down to three runs . However the offense stranded six runners in the last two innings, with Owen Caissie and Nwogu striking out to end the eighth and ninth.

The Cubs will look to win their fourth-straight home series with a win tomorrow night. First pitch Sunday is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. with Daniel Palencia on the hill for South Bend.