Cubs Go Down to the Wire with Timber Rattlers in 2-1 Loss
May 23, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release
South Bend, IN - Another close game went the way of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Friday at Four Winds Field. The Timber Rattlers defeated the South Bend Cubs by a 2-1 score, securing the series via their fourth consecutive win. Wisconsin now stands at 20-23 for the season, while the Cubs are 10-33 with five straight losses.
Click here to view Friday evening's box score.
Runs were at a premium all night long, as both starting pitchers controlled the game early. For South Bend, right-hander Nick Dean took the ball on the one-year anniversary of his High-A debut, delivering his first quality start of the season with six innings of two-run ball. Opposite him, Wisconsin right-hander Ryan Birchard was a touch better, firing off six innings with only a single run allowed. The two starters combined to strike out 13 hitters, Dean punching out seven and Brichard fanning six.
Birchard blinked first in the bottom of the fourth inning, throwing a middle-middle fastball to Edgar Alvarez. The Cubs' left fielder hammered it to right-center field for his third home run, extending his hit streak to eight games and giving South Bend its first lead in more than 40 innings of play. Wisconsin immediately responded in the top of the fifth, as right fielder Hedbert Perez visited right field with a solo shot of his own, tying the game with his sixth home run of the year. South Bend then had a chance to go back in front in the bottom of the fifth, but neither shortstop Jefferson Rojas nor designated hitter Cristian Hernandez could collect a hit with runners on first and second.
Wisconsin's game-winning run touched home in the sixth inning, as third baseman Jadher Areinamo led off with a walk and stole second base. Designated hitter Marco Dinges later dumped a single into shallow left-center, scoring Areinamo to put the Timber Rattlers ahead. During Friday's game, Dinges and Wisconsin shortstop Eduardo Garcia each extended their hit streaks to seven games.
Neither bullpen surrendered a run, each one covering the game's final three innings to preserve the 2-1 score. South Bend rolled out right-handers Grayson Moore, Luis Rujano, and Vince Reilly, who combined for five strikeouts to keep the Cubs a swing away from tying the game. They didn't, though, as Wisconsin right-hander Yerlin Rodriguez spun two perfect innings for a hold. In the ninth, the Timber Rattlers called upon Jesús Broca for his first save of the season. Although he issued a leadoff walk to Alvarez, he induced a double play off the bat of center fielder Andy Garriola and struck out third baseman Reginald Preciado to finish the game.
A handful of long streaks came to an end with Friday's game, beginning with Wisconsin first baseman Blake Burke's Midwest League-leading 25-game on-base streak. On the Cubs side, Jefferson Rojas lost his 22-game on-base streak, while Garriola snapped his 12-game hit streak. South Bend first baseman Drew Bowser kept his hit streak alive at eight games, however, singling twice against Birchard.
Right-hander Ryan Gallagher and the Cubs will face Timber Rattlers righty Tanner Gillis and company at 4:05 PM on Saturday.
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