Passantino's brilliance not enough as Cubs fall 11-5 in extras

South Bend, IN: Jeffrey Passantino returned to Four Winds Field after over a month spent with the Eugene Emeralds in the Northwest League. Already with a 3-0 Midwest League record and an ERA at 1.17, the right hander Passantino did not miss a beat in his first start with the club.

But six shutout innings, a career high nine strikeouts, and full control through more than half of the game was not enough. With 11 runs scored in the final three innings of the game, the Great Lakes Loons defeated the South Bend Cubs 11-5 to take the series opener.
Great Lakes had no answer for Passantino. He struck out the final five batters he faced to set the new career high. After Passantino, Garrett Kelly tossed two scoreless frames to preserve the 5-0 lead. 
Thanks to a two RBI game from left fielder Jimmy Herron, who gave the Cubs their original 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1^st on a single up the middle, South Bend eventually took the 5-0 lead into the top of the 9^th inning. 
Manuel Rodriguez was responsible for the final three outs of the game, but the Loons had other thoughts. In the top of the 9^th, Great Lakes plated five runs to tie the game before an out was recorded. Brian Glowicki then came in and shut the door in the 9^th to keep the game tied. 
With no scoring in the 10^th, the night took both team's to the 11^th. Right hander Luis Aquino entered the game for South Bend. Again, the Loons had a monster inning. Six straight runs that all started because of the automatic runner at second rule did the Cubs in on Wednesday night. 
At a final of 11-5, the Cubs lose a heartbreaker and their record drops to 54-60 on the season. They will have the opportunity to even up the series tomorrow night at 7:05 PM. Right hander Javier Assad is expected to start for South Bend.