Cubs Dismantle Sky Carp 13-5

BELOIT, WI - 18 runs, 19 hits, 26 strikeouts, and 13 walks. A lot happened Friday night in the Cubs 13-5 victory over the Sky Carp. Bryce Ball (3-5, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB) turned around his series with his best performance since joining the team last week and he was joined by Ezequiel Pagan (3-5, 2 RBI, 2 R, HBP) and Scott McKeon (3-6, 3 2B, 4 RBI) with three-hit games.

In the top of the third the Cubs opened the scoring with their fourth five-run inning of the series. Edgar Sanchez (3 IP, 4 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K) entered the game with a 6.98 ERA and the game got away from him after a strong first couple innings. He issued the dreaded leadoff walk to Casey Opitz and then another walk with one out to Kevin Alcántara, which was Alcantara's first walk of May and ended a draught of 17 games without a walk for the Cubs number three prospect. With two outs Sanchez plunked Pagan to load the bases.

It was a night with many self-inflicted wounds for Beloit. With the bases loaded Sanchez threw one to the backstop that scored Opitz. Then Pertuz hit a grounder to third that was booted by Jacob Berry, scoring a run to make it 2-0. That's when the Cubs got their first hit of the game, an RBI single from Bryce Ball on a weak grounder that Zach Zubia dove and missed at first and then was bobbled by Kahlil Watson the second baseman. Moments later Scott McKeon smoked a pitch down the left field line to make it 5-0.

It would get uglier for Beloit the next inning.

Sanchez again allowed Opitz reach to start the inning, this time via a single. After Liam Spence walked, Alcántara belted a triple to the wall in right-center field to bring home a pair. Jacob Wetzel then walked which chased the Sky Carp starter. Matt Givin would come on face Pagan, who picked a pitch nearly off the dirt and roped it down the line in right to score two more for a 9-0 lead. A walk to Pertuz and another Ball single loaded the bases. McKeon sent another two-run double to deep left to give the Cubs an 11-0 lead. With Ethan Hearn batting a passed ball got by Joe Mack and the final run of a seven-run inning came in. Givin would get the next two batters but wouldn't even finish the inning.

The first eight batters reached in the fourth for the Cubs, and after sending nine to the plate in the third, they sent 12 to bat in the fourth inning.

At this point the game was done and dusted. But don't let that take away from what Tyler Santana (5 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K) did on the mound, impressing with his best outing of the year the right-hander faced the minimum over five scoreless innings. Through five innings it truly felt like the Cubs did nothing but bat and if you blinked you might've missed Santana dealing.

Brad Deppermann gave up five runs on four hits and a trio of walks in the sixth inning but it was far too little and too late to really impact the result of the game.

Two singles and a pair of walks, including one to Ball with the bases loaded, brought home the final run of the game in the ninth.

Sheldon Reed (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K) and Adam Laskey (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K) combined for 3.1 hitless and shutout innings to end the game.

A nine-inning game taking three hours almost never happens these days, but this marathon of a contest took 3:02. The eight-run margin of victory tied the largest of the largest of the season for South Bend, who won by eight for a fifth time. Friday almost marked a career high with four RBIs for McKeon and it became the 2nd time this road trip that Pagan has recorded back-to-back three-hit games.

The Cubs stand just half a game behind Beloit now, tied with Cedar Rapids for second in the West.