Cubs outclass Lugnuts on Grand Slam School Day, 9-3

LANSING, Mich. – Brett Bateman reached base five times, Ethan Hearn homered, and the South Bend Cubs (8-15) overcame four errors to coast past the Lansing Lugnuts (10-13), 9-3, in a Grand Slam School Day Wednesday matinee at Jackson® Field™.

Danny Bautista, Jr. went 2-for-3 with an RBI single, a triple and an HBP for the Lugnuts, who have lost the first two games in the six-game series.

Cubs leadoff hitter Bateman set the tone, drawing a walk from Jacob Watters to open the game and scoring on a Yohendrick Piñango RBI single for a 1-0 lead, and then, after Lansing tied the game, opening the third inning with a double and scoring on a Jefferson Rojas RBI single to give the Cubs the lead for good.

Watters was pinned with two more runs in the fourth inning, one scoring after he departed, to finish with a final line of four runs allowed on six hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings with five strikeouts.

Reliever Dylan Hall allowed one run in 1 1/3 innings, fanning two; Wander Guante gave up one run in 2 1/3 innings, striking out three; and Yehizon Sanchez allowed three runs in the ninth, capped by Hearn’s first home run of the season.

The Lugnuts’ sole tallies came in the second inning off Will Sanders on a bases-loaded walk; in the eighth inning against Sam Armstrong on Bautista, Jr.’s RBI single to left-center; and in the ninth against Yovanny Cabrera on a Brayan Buelvas sacrifice fly.

The third game of the series is a Coors Light Thirsty Thursday at 7:05 p.m., with gates opening at 6 p.m. and $3 domestic drafts / $5 craft drafts specials. Lefty Will Johnston will make his Lansing debut, opposed by South Bend right-hander Brody McCullough. Tickets are available for purchase at the Jackson® Field™ box office, available for purchase at (517) 485-4500 or online at milb.com/lansing.

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