River Bandits Steal Sunday Finale Over Cubs 7-2

Quad Cities scores all seven runs in 9th inning to wrap up series

By Brendan King

June 28, 2026

South Bend, IN - Heading to the 9th inning of Sunday’s series finale at Four Winds Field between the South Bend Cubs and Quad Cities River Bandits, the Cubs held a 2-0 lead in the hopes of taking five of six games away from QC. Quad Cities had one last

South Bend, IN - Heading to the 9th inning of Sunday’s series finale at Four Winds Field between the South Bend Cubs and Quad Cities River Bandits, the Cubs held a 2-0 lead in the hopes of taking five of six games away from QC. Quad Cities had one last rally in them for the week, however, capitalizing on a pair of walks to open the frame. That led to a game tying double from Ramon Ramirez, followed by five more runs to swipe the victory out of the Cubs hands, including a three-run homer by Trevor Werner. Quad Cities won the game 7-2.

After their 11-1 victory last night, South Bend matched Quad Cities with a much more competitive game on Sunday. Both starting pitchers, Alfredo Romero and Tanner Jones, each finished the game with identical lines. Both starters worked five scoreless innings with one hit allowed, one walk, and five strikeouts.

As the game carried to the 6th inning still scoreless, the Cubs opened the scoring thanks to a Kane Kepley solo home run in the bottom of the 6th. It was Kepley’s fourth round-tripper of the season.

Up 1-0, South Bend’s bullpen picked up right where Romero left off, getting two shutout frames from righty Kevin Valdez. Later, Eli Jerzembeck made his return to the mound with a 1-2-3 top of the 8th inning. In the bottom of the 8th, the Cubs added an insurance tally when Dilan Granadillo came home to score on a wild pitch tossed by Quad Cities’ right-hander Kamden Edge.

With the 2-0 lead, South Bend was three outs away from its fifth victory of the week. The two walks began the 9th, followed by the Ramirez game-tying double. After two more walks following, the bases were loaded for QC with one away. On a chopper back to the mound, the Cubs recorded one out, but a run scored, making it 3-2. From there, Werner crushed his long home run, and the Bandits would then add one more tally on an RBI single from Tyriq Kemp.

In the bottom of the 9th, Quad Cities sent the Cubs down 1-2-3 to end the game. With the loss, the Cubs still are victorious in the series, taking four games. South Bend dropped to 44-27 on the season, and 5-4 in the second-half.

South Bend will now depart on a 12-game road trip to both Beloit and Cedar Rapids. That will carry the team into the All-Star Break, with the next game at Four Winds Field scheduled for July 17. Tuesday’s first pitch from ABC Supply Stadium against the Sky Carp is set for 7:05 PM EST.