Cubs Conclude Series in Lansing with 8-4 Loss

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MWL South Bend Cubs

Cubs Conclude Series in Lansing with 8-4 Loss

May 18, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


Lansing, MI - Unable to build on Friday's 10-inning victory, the South Bend Cubs dropped Sunday's series finale at Jackson Field by an 8-4 score to the Lansing Lugnuts. Lansing opened with a three-run first inning and led from wire to wire, finalizing a 5-1 series victory. With Sunday's result, the Cubs dropped to 10-29 overall and 2-19 on the road, while the Lugnuts improved to 23-16 for the season.

For the second consecutive start, Cubs right-hander Kenten Egbert struggled in the first inning, giving up a handful of runs. He surrendered hits to each of the first two Lugnuts he faced, setting up designated hitter Jared Dickey for a sacrifice fly that started the scoring. First baseman TJ Schofield-Sam and left fielder Rodney Green Jr. provided additional runs, slashing consecutive RBI doubles to make it 3-0. Schofield-Sam's two-bagger extended his hit streak to 12 games. Lansing would strike again in the second inning, rallying with two outs and scoring on a Dickey double. All told, Egbert needed 57 pitches to record his first six outs of the game.

South Bend settled the game down in the middle innings, answering Lansing with a run in the top of the third. Each of the Cubs' bottom three hitters reached base, allowing shortstop Cristian Hernandez to bat with the bases loaded and nobody out. He drilled a ball to center field, and it hung up at the wall for a sacrifice fly that put the Cubs on the board. Lansing starting pitcher Corey Avant didn't allow any further production, maintaining a 4-1 lead for the Lugnuts.

On the other side, Egbert's defense helped him complete four innings and keep the Cubs in the game. The second ended with a diving catch by center fielder Andy Garriola, one that prevented multiple Lugnuts from scoring a line drive to the left-center gap. The South Bend infield then recorded double plays in both the third and fourth innings, preventing any extension of the Lansing lead.

The Lugnuts finally did add on against Cubs reliever Marino Santy in the fifth, scoring a pair of runs on second baseman Casey Yamauchi's two-out, bases-loaded single. The Cubs countered with two runs of their own in the top of the sixth, starting with a Garriola double that stretched his hit streak to nine games. Left fielder Edgar Alvarez followed with another double that scored Garriola, pulling the Cubs back within four. They'd later make it 6-3 on a sacrifice fly from third baseman Reivaj Garcia.

Just as quickly as the Cubs tightened the gap, the Lugnuts widened again, scoring against Kenyi Perex in the sixth and Grayson Moore in the seventh. Right-hander Luis Rujano handled the eighth for South Bend, leaving the bases loaded on a pair of flyouts. For the Lugnuts, who finished with 13 hits, center fielder Ryan Lasko got on base four times and scored three runs, while Schofield-Sam and Dickey also each occupied the basepaths on four occasions.

South Bend threatened in the top of the ninth, scoring on another Hernandez sac fly and getting the tying run to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. Along the way, second baseman Jefferson Rojas walked to push his on-base streak to 19 games. It came down to a battle between Garriola, South Bend's home run leader, and Lansing closer Mark Adamiak, who induced a pop fly to end the game. Alvarez and first baseman Brian Kalmer led the Cubs offensively, each recording three hits.

South Bend and Lansing will now go their separate ways, the Cubs heading home to face the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, and the Lugnuts hitting the road to battle the Lake County Captains. The Cubs and Timber Rattlers will begin play at 6:05 PM on Tuesday at Four Winds Field.

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