South Bend Completes Comeback to Defeat Lugnuts 8-5

Lansing, MI - For the first time this season, the South Bend Cubs won a game when trailing their opponent after both six and seven innings. In comeback fashion in the series opener against the Lansing Lugnuts in Michigan’s capital, the Cubs erased two separate Lansing leads to earn the victory and set up an early morning game coming up on Wednesday.

Nick Hull made his fourth start of the season for the Cubs on the mound, and worked back-to-back 1-2-3 innings to open his outing. He also was gifted the lead when Casey Opitz singled and eventually reached third base and scored on a balk in the 3rd inning made by Lugnuts starter Luis Morales.

Morales, the number-two overall prospect with the Oakland Athletics, made his 2024 debut, and was impressive with a sharp slider. Lansing would give him his first lead to work with in the same 3rd inning, when Lansing managed a couple runs against Hull.

From that point, Hull locked in to work five strong innings in a no-decision effort. He walked no batters, and struck out five.

Down 3-1, the Cubs tied the game first in the top of the 5th when Brett Bateman singled in Rafael Morel, and Jonathon Long took a bases loaded walk. Even at 3-3, it didn’t take many South Bend players very long to extend their respective hitting and on-base streaks.

Jefferson Rojas has a base hit in 15 games in a row, the best active streak in both the Midwest League and all of High-A. Pedro Ramirez is up to an eight-game hit streak, Yohendrick Pinango is at seven straight with a hit, and 15 in a row on base. Lastly, Bateman’s on-bases streak sits at nine games.

Lansing had a quick answer, however, to South Bend tying things up. In the bottom of the 6th, a two-run single from Euribiel Angeles made it a 5-3 game. All season, South Bend had not won a game when trailing after six innings. That was sure to change.

Long had six hits last week against Quad Cities with five RBI. He would produce another in the top of the 7th when he brought South Bend back within a run. In the 8th, Felix Stevens launched a home run over the right field wall to tie it up at 5-5. In the at-bat, Stevens had broken his bat, and his first swing with the new piece of lumber was the homer.

In the next inning, Long’s base hit up the middle plated Ramirez, and Stevens knocked in two more on a double with that new bat.

Out of the bullpen, left-hander Mitchell Tyranski made his South Bend Cubs debut with two shutout innings, earning the win. And in the 9th, it was Grayson Moore finishing off the final three outs and securing the save.

With the win, South Bend is in the ‘W’ column with a 7-15 record, and turn right around to face the Lugnuts again on Wednesday morning. First pitch is scheduled for 11:05 AM with right-hander Will Sanders on the mound.