Kernels Mount Comeback, Beat Cubs 8-7
MWL South Bend Cubs

Kernels Mount Comeback, Beat Cubs 8-7

Published on May 1, 2025 under Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


Cedar Rapids, IA - On back-to-back nights, the Cedar Rapids Kernels have come back to beat the South Bend Cubs, after the Cubs have held 1st inning leads on consecutive days. Tonight, Cedar Rapids held on to win 8-7, and have taken the first three games of this week's series in Iowa.

South Bend's game on Thursday started just as it did on Wednesday, with Ivan Brethowr singling to start the game on the first pitch of the night. Brethowr then stole second base, and went to third on a wild pitch. Jefferson Rojas ultimately put the Cubs in front on an RBI sac-fly, in a 1-0 advantage.

It would be a game of many comebacks from a Cedar Rapids perspective. The Cubs used Chase Watkins on the mound, acting as an 'opener' to begin the game. The Kernels tied things up in the 1st, before the Cubs took another lead in the top of the 2nd, on a Reggie Preciado RBI-groundout. Preciado, who had three hits in the game on Tuesday, now has three RBI in the series.

The scheduled South Bend starter, Jaxon Wiggins, entered the game in the bottom of the 3rd, working a 1-2-3 inning. Cedar Rapids scraped across a run in the bottom of the 4th to tie it at 2-2.

Heavy rain eventually started to fall in the top of the 5th, but that did not deter the Cubs from going on a big rally. Cedar Rapids starter Alejandro Hidalgo walked Preciado with one out in the 5th, and Preciado preceded to steal two straight bases. The Cubs stole a season high seven bases in the game, and Rafael Morel knocked in Preciado on a sac-fly for the lead.

The next batter was Brethowr, who cranked a home run over the left-center field wall to extend the lead. After a Cristian Hernandez double, Rojas came up and launched his second home run of the series. For Rojas, it was a four-RBI game. That's a season high, and one short of a career high.

Up 6-2, South Bend would allow three runs in the bottom-half of the 5th, and then three more in the 6th. In eight of the nine last Cubs road losses, they have held one or more leads in the game.

It was 8-6 Kernels, and the Cubs picked up one more run in the 7th, thanks to the fourth RBI of the game by Rojas. But they left two men on base in that inning, and Cedar Rapids right-hander Jacob Wosinski picked up the save by tossing a scoreless 8th and 9th.

With the loss, South Bend has dropped seven straight games, and will hope to break the skid on Friday night when they clash with the Kernels again at 7:35 PM EST. Right-hander Nick Dean will get the start for the Cubs.

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Midwest League Stories from May 1, 2025


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