TinCaps Outlast Cubs 6-5 to Open Series in 11 Innings 

Fort Wayne, IN - For the fifth time in the last week-and-a-half, the South Bend Cubs have played an extra innings game. To begin the final series of the 2024 season at Fort Wayne, the TinCaps came back from two separate leads to defeat the Cubs in 11 innings by a final of 6-5.

A beautiful night at Parkview Field, right-hander Grant Kipp got the start for South Bend, opposed by righty Isaiah Lowe. Early on, it was Fort Wayne with the first leg-up of the day, capitalizing on a lead-off walk drawn by Kai Murphy. Devin Ortiz knocked in Murphy, but Kipp worked out of the 1st with only the singular run of damage.

This helped South Bend, and Kipp settled in to work quick paced innings in the 2nd and 3rd. In the top of the 3rd, the Cubs swiped the lead away from Fort Wayne, starting with a lead-off single by Ariel Armas. Two batters later, Pedro Ramirez, who already singled in the 1st inning, smacked a triple to plate Armas. Later in the inning, a Lowe wild pitch scored Ramirez as the Cubs went up 2-1.

Kipp struck out a season high seven batters in four innings of one-run baseball. South Bend added on to their lead in the 6th, grabbing two runs of insurance. Pedro Ramirez doubled, and through six innings was a homer shy of the cycle. The last South Bend Cubs cycle, executed by Cole Roederer, came at Parkview Field in 2019.

Ramirez finished the night 4/6, with his fourth hit coming on a late single. South Bend led the game 4-1, but Fort Wayne had comeback on their mind. In the 7th, right-hander Angel Gonzalez quickly struck out the first two batters of the inning, but a TinCaps rally that was propelled off two walks, and base hits from Ortiz and Ethan Salas plated three runs. It was a 4-4 game heading to the 8th.

In the bottom of the 8th, Fort Wayne left the go-ahead run at third base. In the 9th, it seemed as though the TinCaps won the game, but in fact they did not. Rosman Verdugo was at third base. With Tyler Robertson batting, the home plate umpire pointed at home plate, calling for Verdugo to come home. Fort Wayne celebrated, dumping water on Robertson and Verdugo, and taking his shirt off in right field.

The two umpires got together, and pointed for Verdugo to go back to third base. What many thought was a balk call, ended up being catcher’s interference. Robertson went to first base, and the bases were loaded. To end the 9th, Yovanny Cabrera struck out Ethan Long to force extra innings.

The game went to the 10th, and South Bend claimed their first lead since the 6th inning. Ezequiel Pagan doubled home courtesy runner Cristian Hernandez, and it was 5-4 Cubs. Fort Wayne answered with a run in their half of the 10th, and we were on to the 11th.

After the Cubs were sent down in the top of the 11th, a walk-off double by Robertson, to push his hitting streak to 10-straight games, ended things. 6-5 was the final.

There are just five games to go in the 2024 season, and the two in-state rivals will get together again on Wednesday night at 6:35 for Game Two of this week’s series. Left-hander Drew Gray gets the start for the Cubs.