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MWL South Bend Cubs

Salas Shot Spoils Series Opener for South Bend

August 6, 2024 - Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


SOUTH BEND, IN - Tuesday night the Cubs lost a tough low-scoring batting, 5-2, on the backs of a two-out, three-run homer in the eighth from 18-year-old Ethan Salas.

Salas came up vs Yovanny Cabrera after Cabrera had walked two in the inning. The Cubs had a 2-0 lead at the time Fort Wayne had managed just two singles on the night. Then Salas crushed a homer, cutting throw the massive win blowing in from center, and clearing the wall in right field.

Tonight's game saw some of the best pitching we've seen from opposing starters. Nico Zeglin got the nod for his first High-A start and completely flustered the TinCaps offense. He worked five shutout, no-hit, innings. The first-year pro mixed his offerings perfectly throughout the night with his fastball playing up in the zone off his changeup. At one point he retired 12-straight batters, and on the night he punched out six.

On the other side was Padres No. 12 prospect Jagger Haynes and through five innings he went toe-to-toe with the Cubs righty. Haynes retired the first four batters of the game and then after back-to-back singles in the second he retired the next nine batters.

Kai Murphy ended the no-hit bid in the sixth but Tyler Santana worked around a couple of one out singles by getting Salas and Devin Ortiz to end the threat.

Rafael Morel smashed a single into left of Haynes to begin the sixth and two batters later Ethan Hearn hammered a two-run blast to right to put the Cubs up 2-0. For Hearn it was his third homer in his last five games and a continuation of the best stretch of his time with South Bend.

With the Cubs trailing 3-2 following the homer, Hearn almost came through again in the clutch in the eighth. He belted one to center that left the bat at 105 mph, but on a chilly night with the wind howling in, the deep fly died into the mitt of Joshua Mears.

The TinCaps added two runs in the ninth. Mitchell Tyranski allowed a walk and then a single with one down before punching out pinch hitter Jacob Campbell. But Nik McClaughry put the game to bed with a bases-clearing double down the line in left to make it 5-2.

The win marked Fort Wayne's sixth straight victory over South Bend.

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