Cubs Smack Season-Best 16 Hits, Sting 'Rattlers 12-3
July 11, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release
Appleton, WI - It's been a week full of season-bests for the South Bend Cubs so far up in Appleton, winning the first three games in their series against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. South Bend has won four straight games, including most recently on Thursday night by a final of 12-3. South Bend picked up a season-high 16 hits, and crushed three home runs. The Cubs hit a 2025-best four round-trippers back in the game on Tuesday.
In a high-profile starting pitching match-up, the Timber Rattlers sent left-hander and Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Nestor Cortes to the mound in a rehab start. The Cubs countered with Brandon Birdsell, Chicago's top pitching prospect. Birdsell was making his second rehab outing with South Bend, and was a full-time South Bend Cubs pitcher back in 2023. For Cortes, he was working his second total rehab outing since being out with injury due to an elbow strain since April. Cortes last pitched with Triple-A Nashville last week.
Both starters devoured quickly through their first three innings, hanging zeroes in each. South Bend's best opportunity against Cortes came in the top of the 4th when Cristian Hernandez and Cameron Sinseros both singled off of the Big-League lefty. The Cubs then lined out sharply twice to end the inning, as Cortes worked four shutout frames.
In the bottom of the 4th, Wisconsin scraped across their first runs against Birdsell, both on one swing. Hedbert Perez crushed a home run, his third of the season against the Cubs and 10th total, to make it 2-0 'Rattlers.
Cortes departed after the four shutout innings, and gave way to right-hander Jaron DeBerry out of the bullpen. For DeBerry, the former Brewers third-round draft pick out of Dallas Baptist, it was his first career relief outing.
From the point DeBerry came in, South Bend scored at least one run in each inning the rest of the night, after getting nothing in the first four.
In the 5th, all with two outs, Rafael Morel singled to spark a rally, followed by an Ivan Brethowr walk. Consecutive base hits by Jefferson Rojas and Hernandez gave the Cubs their first lead at 3-2. The 6th inning saw Drew Bowser crush his second home run of the season, giving South Bend some insurance.
That key insurance run was tossed around a couple times in the next few half-innings, but South Bend ultimately earned it back on another bomb by Rojas, his ninth of the season, and fifth since June 20. Rojas has homered twice in the series.
South Bend continued to pile it on offensively, as Birdsell put himself in line for the victory with five innings of two-run baseball. Kenten Egbert fired three innings out of the Cubs bullpen with only one run allowed.
In the 8th, Miguel Pabon delivered a two-run single to make it a four run Cubs lead, and then the 9th featured the biggest rally yet, with five runs scored. Cameron Sisneros belted his second home run this week on a two-run shot. Sisneros in the series is 6/11 with two home runs and six RBI. The Cubs then loaded the bases, and Brethowr cleared them on a triple.
In the game, Brethowr, Rojas, Hernandez, Sisneros, and Pabon all had multi-RBI nights. Vince Reilly closed out the final three outs, and South Bend won again.
The Cubs are now 9-9 in the second half, and entering Friday, will be 2.5 games back of the Midwest League West Division lead held by Quad Cities.
South Bend has already guaranteed a series split, and the Cubs can win the series as soon as Friday night when they meet the 'Rattlers again. First pitch is set for 7:40 PM EST, with right-hander Erian Rodriguez on the mound.
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