Comeback Cubs Roar Back to Defeat Sky Carp 7-5

South Bend, IN – While trailing both early on and late in game two of a six game series against the Beloit Sky Carp, the South Bend Cubs mounted two sets of comeback efforts to storm through and defeat Beloit 7-5. It’s the first time this season that the Cubs have won back-to-back games, and they improved their record to 5-6 in the process.

The chilly evening started with South Bend sending 2021 Chicago Cubs first-round pick Jordan Wicks to the mound. Wicks was looking to build off of his first start of the season in Fort Wayne last week, where he went 3.2 scoreless innings.

Wicks ran into trouble early by surrendering a two-run home run to Beloit’s Bennett Hostetler in the top of the 1st inning. Similarly to his professional debut last September, Wicks struck out the first man he faced in the game, but then allowed consecutive hits, including the home run.

Later, Wicks continued to work at an efficient and effective pace, keeping Beloit hitters on their heels. He was also backed up by the South Bend bats. In the 2nd inning, Ed Howard smashed a single to the left side of the field and cut the Beloit lead in half. When the Sky Carp added two more runs in the top of the 3rd, the Cubs immediately answered on Alexander Canario’s first longball of the year. Canario hammered a three-run shot deep over the left field wall and tied the duel at 4-4.

The first player out of the South Bend bullpen was lefty Dalton Stambaugh, who continued his consistent shutout effort on the campaign past another outing. With 3.1 innings of work where he only allowed one hit, Stambaugh struck out five batters and kept things even through the middle innings.

No runs were scored by either squad from the 4th through the 7th. Then in the 8th, Beloit plated what could have been the deciding run when Dalvy Rosario singled in Victor Mesa Jr.

The comeback mood was on in the Cubs dugout though, as South Bend laid their second three-run outburst on the Sky Carp. Against new right-hander Robinson Martinez, Yohendrick Pinango laced a double into left, then Owen Caissie finished off a hard working at-bat with a walk. In a battle against Martinez, Matt Mervis singled in Pinango to tie it at 5-5.

South Bend would take the lead when Howard rifled his second hit of the game through the hole on the left side to plate Caissie. An insurance run was added on as Luis Verdugo skillfully chopped a ball to the right side to bring in Mervis from 3rd.

In the 9th, Jeremiah Estrada worked around a walk in the frame to earn the victory for himself and the Cubs. After Beloit was shutout last night, both teams came through for 10 hits in the game.

The Cubs will have the opportunity to go up 3-0 in the series when they host the Sky Carp again Thursday evening at 7:05 PM. Left-hander DJ Herz is the expected starter for South Bend.