Emshoff’s Big Night Propels Quad Cities to 5-4 Victory
South Bend, IN - After putting up 38 runs in two games to begin this week against the Quad Cities River Bandits, the South Bend Cubs took their first loss of the week versus their West Division foe, dropping Thursday night’s game by a final of 5-4. The bats for
South Bend, IN - After putting up 38 runs in two games to begin this week against the Quad Cities River Bandits, the South Bend Cubs took their first loss of the week versus their West Division foe, dropping Thursday night’s game by a final of 5-4.
The bats for the Cubs were ferociously hot entering tonight’s game, but it was Quad Cities with a solid response following two tough games on their part. South Bend sent right-hander Grant Kipp out to the mound in his final start of 2023 with South Bend.
With their first lead of the series, the River Bandits got two quick runs against Kipp when Kale Emshoff began his career day at the plate with a two-run single in the 1st inning.
Emshoff truly defined the day for Quad Cities, but consistently during the middle innings, South Bend had an answer.
As Kipp hung zeroes in both the 2nd and 3rd, South Bend tied up the game thanks to James Triantos. Triantos, who was on base five times in five innings last night, continued that dynamite stretch with reaching base six times in seven plate appearances. It was a two-run single for Triantos, scoring Josh Rivera and Ethan Hearn.
Tied at 2-2, the River Bandits immediately grabbed the lead back when Emshoff hammered a solo home run to lead-off the 4th. Quad Cities swiped the lead right back, but South Bend tied it again as Felix Stevens just missed a home run into the left field home run porch. It was a double off the base of the wall and Franklin came home to score to even things at 3-3.
The Cubs showed the heart tying the game two separate times. But it was Emshoff again with an RBI double in the 5th to again send the River Bandits on top.
In his last act in the 7th, Emshoff did it again and crushed a home run. His 10th of the season officially was the game winning hit. Although South Bend did get it back to a run after the stretch via Kevin Alcántara’s RBI base hit.
Luis Verdugo did not pick up a hit after going 5/6 last night, but he walked twice to continue his on-base streak to 17 straight games.
Out of the bullpen, Michael McAvene tossed two innings with only a run allowed, including getting out of a bases loaded jam in the 6th. Yovanny Cruz added two shutout frames with no walks and three strikeouts.
With the loss, South Bend still leads the series two-games-to-one, and will give it another go Friday night at 7:05 PM. Right-hander Nick Hull will make his first start at Four Winds Field as a part of the rotation.