Cubs Fall 7-4 to Fort Wayne on First Education Day of 2026
Published on April 29, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release
South Bend, IN - The South Bend Cubs (12-8) dropped their first of three Education Day games on Wednesday afternoon at Four Winds Field, falling by a 7-4 score to the Fort Wayne TinCaps (8-16). Both teams scored four runs in the fourth inning to start the scoring, but Fort Wayne's bullpen posted zeros the rest of the way to earn the win.
Both starting pitchers - right-hander Isaiah Lowe for Fort Wayne and lefty Cole Reynolds for South Bend - opened the morning with three scoreless frames. The floodgates then broke all the way around in the fourth inning, chasing both starters from the game. Fort Wayne began the top half of the frame with four consecutive singles, the last of which, from right fielder Jake Cunningham, drove in two runs. First baseman Jack Costello later notched another two-run single, extending the TinCaps' lead to 4-0.
The Cubs wasted no time answering back in the bottom of the fourth, as first baseman Cameron Sisneros and third baseman Matt Halbach recorded base hits to put a pair in scoring position. Left fielder Reginald Preciado made sure they scored, belting a three-run home run over the fence in left. Preciado's second long ball of the season came against his old organization, as he was originally signed by the San Diego Padres before being traded to Chicago in the 2020 Yu Darvish deal. His home run also helped the Cubs tie the game, as center fielder Kane Kepley lifted a sacrifice fly not long after to level the score at 4-4.
Fort Wayne would push right back into the lead, plating two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Both came off the bat of Cunningham, who planted his fifth home run of the season on the berm in left-center field, giving the TinCaps a 6-4 lead. Their seventh and final run scored in the ninth after right-hander Adam Stone had posted two shutout innings for the Cubs.
That offensive output held up thanks to the four-man effort of Fort Wayne's bullpen, which combined for 5.2 scoreless innings. Lefty Braian Salazar earned the win with 1.2 frames, right-handers Kleiber Olmedo and Tucker Musgrove each recorded a hold, and Clay Edmondson notched the save with a scoreless ninth inning. The Cubs' best opportunity to break through against the bullpen came in the fifth inning, when they put two men aboard with nobody out. However, a double play negated the threat.
With the series tied at one win apiece, the Cubs and TinCaps will return to action at 7:05 PM on Thursday, April 30. It'll be a starting pitching matchup of right-handers, featuring Koen Moreno for South Bend and Carson Montgomery for Fort Wayne.
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