Cubs Beat Wisconsin Twice, 5-3 in Resumed Game and 7-4 in Nightcap
MWL South Bend Cubs

Cubs Beat Wisconsin Twice, 5-3 in Resumed Game and 7-4 in Nightcap

Published on September 4, 2025 under Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


South Bend, IN - Resuming play after the suspension of Wednesday's game, the South Bend Cubs snatched up two wins on Thursday at Four Winds Field. With 5-3 and 7-4 defeats of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (54-73), the Cubs (55-73) momentarily kept themselves alive in the postseason chase. However, with Beloit's victory going final just after South Bend's second, the Cubs officially dropped out of the race.

The Cubs and Timber Rattlers began their second game of the series on Wednesday night, Wisconsin taking an early lead against South Bend right-hander Kevin Valdez. With two outs, the Timber Rattlers produced three consecutive hits, going ahead 2-0. Designated hitter Marco Dinges and left fielder Luiyin Alastre each collected an RBI with their singles.

Wisconsin starter Ryan Birchard cruised through his first inning on the other side. However, the right-hander allowed a run in the second, as a double steal set up left fielder Kade Snell for a sacrifice fly.

Before heavy rain arrived and suspended the game in the middle of the fourth inning, Valdez danced out of danger to keep the Cubs within a run. In the third, he erased a one-out single by inducing a 4-6-3 double play. He then walked two to load the bases with nobody out in the fourth before escaping the inning unscathed on a strikeout and another double play. On the twin killing, Valdez himself fielded a soft grounder and fed catcher Ariel Armas, who sent the turn to first base for the third out.

When the game resumed at 5:35 PM on Thursday, No. 7 Brewers prospect Bishop Letson pitched for Wisconsin, and rehabbing Iowa Cub Jack Neely took the mound for South Bend. Neely struck out one in a perfect top of the fifth inning, and righty Luis Martinez-Gomez followed with a scoreless sixth. Opposite them, Letson opened his outing with two shutout frames, ending the fourth with a double play and stranding the tying run at third base in the fifth.

The Cubs got to Letson by no fault of his own in the sixth, taking a 3-2 lead with two unearned runs. With two outs and a man at first, Armas skied a routine fly ball to center field, but Wisconsin center fielder Daniel Guilarte misjudged it and missed the ball. That allowed the runner to score from first and tie the game. Second baseman Miguel Pabon and Snell each singled to keep the inning moving, Snell's hit driving in the go-ahead run.

Wisconsin would answer right back in the seventh, as first baseman Luke Adams reached with one out on catcher's interference. He'd later score on a sacrifice fly from third baseman Andrew Fischer, tying the game at 3-3. Right-hander Jackson Kirkpatrick came on to pitch the top of the eighth, loading the bases with one out and putting the tying run at third. He turned the inning around, though, striking out Guilarte before getting Adams to ground out and end the frame with the score still tied.

The Timber Rattlers called on lefty Anthony Flores to pitch the bottom of the eighth, and right fielder Edgar Alvarez welcomed him to the game with a leadoff single. First baseman Brian Kalmer hit next and launched a two-run home run to left field, giving the Cubs a 5-3 lead. Kalmer's team-leading 10th long ball of the season stood up as the game-winner.

After Kirkpatrick closed out the resumed game, the Cubs raced out to the lead in Thursday night's seven-inning contest. They scored three in the first frame, as center fielder Leonel Espinoza led off with a single, Alvarez followed with a double, and Kalmer drilled a sacrifice fly to center. Second baseman Drew Bowser later came up with two outs and the bases loaded, ripping a two-run single up the middle. At the end of one inning, the Cubs led 3-0. They'd score again in the third on a throwing error.

Meanwhile, South Bend starting pitcher Nazier Mulé put together 3.2 innings of two-run baseball, sending the Cubs to the bottom of the fourth up 4-2. The runs against him scored in the second on a double by right fielder Kay-Lan Nicasia and in the fourth on a home run from catcher Marco Dinges.

Also in the fourth inning, after Beloit passed the baton from starting pitcher Sam Garcia to reliever Miles Langhorne, the Cubs took their largest lead of the night. With two on and two outs, designated hitter Ariel Armas rocketed a double to right field, bringing home a pair of runs.

Trailing by four, Wisconsin put all sorts of traffic on the basepaths in the second half of the game. In the fifth, each of the first two Timber Rattlers reached against right-hander Luis Rujano, who didn't allow either to reach third. Righty Connor Spencer came on in the sixth for the Cubs and struggled, committing an error before allowing an RBI single to left fielder Luiyin Alastre. With two outs and the bases loaded, he gave way to right-hander Grayson Moore, who pulled the Cubs out of trouble with a flyout.

The Cubs tallied one more run for good measure in the bottom of the sixth. Right fielder Rafael Morel led off with a walk, stole second, and took third on a pickoff error. He then scored on an Alvarez fielder's choice, using a nifty slide to touch the corner of home plate. Moore returned for the top of the seventh, locking up his fifth save of the season.

Friday's fourth game of the series has a scheduled start time of 7:05 PM. The Cubs are set to throw right-hander Brooks Caple against Wisconsin righty Travis Smith.

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