Big Lead Slips Away as Quad Cities Takes Finale Over Cubs 11-7

Davenport, IA - In the series finale and last of six games between the South Bend Cubs and Quad Cities River Bandits, everything was going the way of the road team early. Jordan Wicks had fired two scoreless innings for the Cubs, and then in the top of the 3rd, South Bend got him some run support. The Cubs piled six runs on the Modern Woodmen Park scoreboard and led 6-0. The rest of the way would not be the cruised that they were looking for though, as the River Bandits clawed back and swiped away an 11-7 final to take the game and series.

The 3rd inning was South Bend’s most productive of the season. They used five hits and a walk to their advantage against Quad Cities starter Anthony Simonelli. It was not announced until the prior night that Simonelli would be starting, as the intended man to be on the mound for the River Bandits was Christian Chamberlain, but he pitched out of the bullpen on Saturday night.

So Simonelli’s Sunday it was and the Cubs got to him, and then some. Caleb Knight started the 3rd with a double off the right center field wall, and Scott McKeon walked. Alexander Canario now has back-to-back games with a home run as he took a pitch from Simonelli and hammered it over the center field wall. In the series, Canario blasted four home runs. His batting average at the start of the six games was at .176, by the end of the week, it clocked in at .286.

The offensive onslaught kept on rolling along. With two outs, Owen Caissie cracked a broken bat single to the right side, and Jake Washer stepped in. On the hottest of streaks over the last week, Washer crushed his fourth home run in five games to give the Cubs a 6-0 advantage.

That big lead didn’t last long. Quad Cities was right back to the comeback train in the bottom of the 3rd as they put five runs on the board against Wicks. RBI base hits came from Herard Gonzalez and Burle Dixon. A big play came at the end of the inning though, as Knight, the Cubs catcher, whipped a throw over to third base and picked off Dixon to end the inning. At that time, the Cubs still had the 6-5 lead.

The game settled down in the middle innings, as the big defensive plays by Knight continued. After Wicks departed, lefty Bailey Horn made his 2022 debut on the mound. Horn started his first inning of the campaign by walking the bases loaded, but then followed that with back-to-back strikeouts. On a wild pitch that scooted to the backstop, the runner at third base, Parker Bates, broke towards home plate. Knight retrieved the ball and tossed it to Horn covering for the out. The Cubs still led by a run.

Knight continued his good work with the gear on by catching Luca Tresh stealing at second for a quick bottom of the 5th. Jeremiah Estrada worked that scoreless stanza out of the Cubs bullpen, making his earliest inning appearance of the year.

That gave way in the 6th inning for another 2022 South Bend Cubs debut. Riley Martin, who had put up shutdown numbers on the mound at Low-A Myrtle Beach, took the hill. Martin’s first frame with South Bend went swimmingly, as he struck out three batters and worked around a walk.

In the 7th, things took a turn as Quad Cities tied the game and took the lead against Martin with a two-run single from Dixon. He had made up for his miscue of being picked off third base earlier. The River Bandits then added three more in the 8th for a more comfortable 11-7 lead.

South Bend made it interesting in the 9th, as two men reached against lefty Emilio Marquez. Marquez, who earned the win, was taken out with two outs in the 9th for Quad Cities closer Kasey Kalich. Kalich’s sole responsibility was to get Canario out with two down in the 9th and two men on, and that’s what he did. Canario put up a good at-bat, but ultimately Kalich won the battle on a full count pitch with a strikeout swinging.

The loss brings South Bend’s record to 9-12 on the season. The club will now head home with an off day on Monday in preparation of facing the St. Louis Cardinals Midwest League affiliate, the Peoria Chiefs. The six-game series begins on Tuesday night inside Four Winds Field at 6:05 PM.