Cubs Hang on to Early Lead in 5-3 Win at West Michigan

The South Bend Cubs (24-16) won a fourth consecutive game against the West Michigan Whitecaps (14-30) on Saturday night at LMCU Ballpark. With their 5-3 win, the Cubs captured the series as well, taking a series at West Michigan for the first time since June 2018.

Click here to view Saturday’s box score.

South Bend starter and No. 17 Cubs prospect Jostin Florentino didn’t have his best command from the jump, allowing two runs in two-plus innings with three walks and two hit batters. West Michigan loaded the bases against him with two outs in the first inning, but Florentino got right fielder Jackson Strong to pop out and end the threat.

West Michigan’s missed chance to set the tone ended up being very important, as the Cubs scored four runs against right-hander Rayner Castillo in the top of the second. Right fielder Leonel Espinoza ripped an RBI double down the left-field line, and catcher Miguel Useche followed with a run-scoring single up the middle. The inning’s big hit came from shortstop Ty Southisene, who went the other way for a two-strike, two-out single to plate two more Cubs.

South Bend didn’t do much on offense for the remainder of the night, allowing West Michigan to hang around. The Whitecaps scored once in the second and again in the third, drawing back within a 4-2 margin. However, in that third inning, they had the bases loaded with nobody out, leaving a chance to tie or take the lead on the table. Right-hander Ben Johnson inherited the jam in relief of Florentino, walking in a run before inducing a double play to conclude the inning. He’d go on to deliver three scoreless frames, leading off another fantastic night from South Bend’s bullpen.

West Michigan’s relief crew performed well, too, holding the Cubs to a single run across 7.1 innings. The lone run came from catcher Miguel Useche, who belted the first pitch he saw over the fence in left field with two outs in the sixth inning. The solo shot, Useche’s third of the season and second with South Bend, gave the Cubs a 5-2 lead.

After right-hander Kenten Egbert spun a scoreless bottom of the sixth for South Bend, West Michigan answered with a long ball. Left fielder ANDREW Sojka connected for the solo blast, pulling his third home run of the season to right field. Spears hit the next batter with the very next first pitch, but he straightened things out from there, completing three innings to record his first save of the season. Overall, the Cub bullpen allowed just one run in seven innings on Thursday, and they’ve allowed only that one run across their last 24.2 frames covered.

With the series win in hand, the Cubs will try to finish their two-week road trip 9-2 with the series finale at 6:35 PM on Sunday, May 24. Right-hander Koen Moreno is scheduled to pitch for South Bend against West Michigan lefty Gabriel Reyes.