Sanders Twirls Gem in 5-3 Loss

SOUTH BEND, IN - Thursday night the Whitecaps, in the thick of the playoff chase in the East, stormed back late and picked up a crucial win in their first half playoff push. West Michigan trailed 3-0 heading into the sixth but scored the final five runs of the game, taking the lead for good in a three-run seventh.

In the fourth inning the Cubs were able to score the first three runs of the game, and the way Will Sanders was throwing it tonight it looked like a lead that would hold up.

Colin Fields had retired the first 10 batters of the game for West Michigan, as the former Valparaiso Beacon mowed through the order his first time through. But with one out in the fourth Pedro Ramirez ripped a double down the line in left field to give South Bend their first baserunner. Jefferson Rojas followed with a single and the Cubs had men at the corners before Felix Stevens struck out swinging. Nick Lovullo opted for aggressiveness on the bases in a game where it felt like runs would come at a premium. Rojas darted for second and just beat the throw down from Josh Crouch, as Ramirez booked it for home and slid it safe. The double steal paid off as the Cubs took the lead. Jonathon Long then crushed an opposite field homer to right, his second round tripper of the week, to put the Cubs up 3-0.

From then on, Fields, Marco Jimenez, and Michael Bienlien combined for five shutout innings to finish out eh game for West Michigan.

Sanders went out for the sixth inning, the first Cubs pitcher to do so this season. Dom Johnson belted a solo shot to straight away centerfield, his first homer of the season. Sanders bounced back and finished the inning, capping hit night with a strikeout of Luis Santana to complete six innings allowing just one run. The quality start was the first for the Cubs since Tyler Santana’s on August 29, 2023 at Fort Wayne.

Ty Johnson made his South Bend debut as the first man out of the Cubs bullpen and allowed two unlucky singles on bloopers to the shallow outfield from Roberto Campos and Peyton Graham. Then with one out Josh Crouch hammered a ball to the wall in center that scored one run, and an errant relay to the plate from Rojas allowed Graham to score the tying run. On the throw Crouch moved up to third and that allowed him to score on a Seth Stephenson sac-fly to center.

With the Whitecaps now leading 4-3, they added a massive insurance run in the eighth. Without a hit, two walks and two strikeouts (plus a wild pitch), made it runners at first and second with two down. With Graham batting, Dilan Granadillo tried to back pick at first base and sailed the throw by Stevens, allowing Max Anderson to score all the way from second.

South Bend had opportunities late but hit into a double play in the fifth, sixth, and seventh inning.

The Cubs will have a chance to tie the series back up with a win on Friday night.