Cubs Come from Behind Again, Win 4-3 with Big Fourth Inning

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MWL South Bend Cubs

Cubs Come from Behind Again, Win 4-3 with Big Fourth Inning

April 11, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


South Bend, IN - Just as quickly as they started 0-3, the South Bend Cubs are right back to .500. They won a third consecutive game against the Peoria Chiefs on Friday evening, improving to 3-0 at Four Winds Field with a 4-3 triumph. Right fielder Ivan Brethowr cracked his first home run as a South Bend Cub, breathing life into a four-run fourth inning that provided all of the home side's offensive output. Peoria couldn't answer after plating three runs in the second, dropping to 0-6 on the year.

For a third consecutive game in the series, Peoria scored the game's first runs. After dueling 1-2-3 first innings, the Chiefs struck for three in the second on a Chase Adksion home run to left. However, South Bend starting pitcher Nick Dean settled in after that, retiring six of the last seven men he faced to finish off four innings in which he struck out six.

Opposite Dean, Peoria starting pitcher Gerardo Salas put up zeros in each of the first three frames. The Cubs threatened against him with runners on the corners in the second and again in the third, when shortstop Cristian Hernandez stretched his season-opening hit streak to six but was left stranded at second base.

The floodgates would open for South Bend in the fourth. Brethowr got the Cubs on the board with an opposite-field poke for his first home run in South Bend pinstripes. First baseman Drew Bowser followed Brethowr's 3-0 count blast with an 0-2 double, bringing the tying run up to bat. Bowser didn't spend too much time on the basepaths, as third baseman Reginald Preciado scored him by floating the first pitch he saw into right field for a single. Center fielder Carter Trice ripped the very next offering into the left-field corner, tying the game and advancing to third on a double. Second baseman Reivaj Garcia didn't waste any time getting him home, barreling a go-ahead single that sealed a four-run Cubs fourth inning.

The scoring stopped right there, as South Bend's bullpen kept rolling with five shutout innings to carry the game to its end. Right-hander Luis Rujano worked around a trio of baserunners in the fifth on his way to a pair of scoreless frames. To help him out of trouble, catcher Ariel Armas caught Peoria's Tre Richardson attempting to steal second base for a second time. After Rujano departed, right-hander Johzan Oquendo cruised through two more hitless innings, striking out the side in the eighth. He'd go on to earn the win, his second of the season.

With the Cubs still up by a 4-3 score, the ninth inning got a bit tricky for right-hander Kenyi Perez. The save-seeker allowed a single and plunked a man before recording his second out, putting the tying run in scoring position and the go-ahead run on base for Chiefs third baseman Michael Curialle. The Cubs, however, had already turned four double plays in the series, and Perez ordered up another one to put away Peoria. Preciado made a slick pickup on Curialle's grounder to third, touched the bag, and slung the ball over to first to turn out the lights at Four Winds Field.

Two Cubs finished with a pair of hits, while four more reached base on multiple occasions. Hernandez collected two singles and a stolen base atop the lineup card, maintaining his phenomenal start to the year. Elsewhere on the South Bend infield, Bowser made his second career game at Four Winds Field one to remember, doubling twice and scoring a run.

With the series halfway done, Peoria and South Bend will meet for a Saturday doubleheader starting at 2:05 PM. Both contests will span seven innings, with game two beginning approximately 40 minutes after the opener's conclusion. The Chiefs will turn to Cade Winquest and Jose Davila on the mound, while the Cubs have not yet released their two probable starters.

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