Cubs Survive in Extras, Take 2-1 Series Edge

APPLETON, WI – Another wild one filled with high drama and anxiety late. If you have any nails left after this doozy then you're better off than me. Cole Roederer delivered an opposite field single in the 10th inning that drove in Fabian Pertuz and ultimately won the game for the Cubs, 3-2 the final over the Timber Rattlers in game three of the series.

Jordan Wicks was stellar on the mound for South Bend. The 2021 first-rounder went a career-high five innings and picked up a career-high eight strikeouts to boot. In the second inning however he did allow the first three batter to reach, but allowed just a sac-fly from Alex Hall that made it 1-0 Wisconsin.

Wicks retired the last 12 batters he faced and the second time through the order the Timber Rattlers went 0-for-9 with six strikeouts.

The top of the fourth started with a rather innocuous ground ball to the right side of the infield. Justin Jarvis, the Wisconsin starter on the hill, beat Grayson Byrd going to cover first base but simply dropped the throw. Jake Slaughter then blasted his first home run of the season to give the Cubs the lead, 2-1.

Jake Reindl made his high-A debut after Wicks exited. Reindl tossed a perfect sixth and seventh, striking out half the batters he faced and utilizing a killer slider that no batter looked comfortable swinging at or even taking.

By the time Bradford Deppermann retired the first two batters of the bottom of the eighth, Cubs pitchers had retired 20-straight batters. With two outs and no one on, the top of the order in Tyler Black, Zavier Warren, and Joe Gray Jr. managed two walks and a single to load the bases for Wes Clarke. Clarke tapped one over to the second baseman Slaughter to end the threat.

Leading 2-1 going into the ninth the Cubs called on Hunter Bigge to try and pick up his fourth save. On the season South Bend entered last night 14-0 when leading after eight innings.

Tristan Peters hit a sharp grounder back to the mound to start the frame, Bigge tried to barehand it, knocked it down, and instead of just holding on to it, he chucked it well wide of first. An infield single and a throwing error sent Peters to third with no one out in a 2-1 game. Carlos Rodriguez walked, stole second and with still zero outs the winning run was now at second.

Bigge induced a ground out to first with the infield drawn in and struck out Alex Hall swinging. With Wisconsin down to their last strike and Antonio Piñero at the dish, Bigge sailed a fastball to the backstop. Tie game. Then he dropped in a nasty bender for a called third strike to send it to extras.

Roederer gave the Cubs the lead slapping a single over a drawn in infield, and it was up to Bailey Reid to get the final three outs.

Nothing came easy on Thursday night at Fox Cities stadium. A walk with one away and a hit batsman with two down loaded the bases for Peters. He hit a sharp grounder up the middle but Pertuz had him played well at short, fielded the ball and stepped on second. Ballgame.

The 3-2 Cubs win gives them a 2-1 series lead and ties up the all-time series between the two sides at 82 wins apiece. In fact Wisconsin is nine games above .500 at their place versus South Bend, and the Cubs franchise is nine above .500 in downtown South Bend going back to 1995.

Reid snatched his first save of the season and Bigge tallied his second win despite the Cubs blowing a save in the ninth for the first time this season. South Bend pitchers have limited Wisconsin’s offense to just seven runs on 13 hits through three games in the series.

These teams will do battle again on Friday night at 7:40 ET.