Seventh Inning Sends Cubs to 7-5 Defeat of Fort Wayne
MWL South Bend Cubs

Seventh Inning Sends Cubs to 7-5 Defeat of Fort Wayne

Published on May 31, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


South Bend, IN - The South Bend Cubs (30-17) rallied to win their series finale against the Fort Wayne TinCaps (23-28) on Sunday afternoon at Four Winds Field. In their 7-5 victory, the Cubs swung the game with a four-run seventh inning, finishing the month of May with an 18-8 record.

With rehabbing Iowa Cub Will Sanders making the start for South Bend, Fort Wayne raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Shortstop Justin DeCriscio opened the game with a first-pitch double, and center fielder Kasen Wells brought him home with another two-bagger to left-center. Sanders then struck out two in a row after a defensive error made behind him, bringing up right fielder Kavares Tears with two on and two outs. Tears launched a triple just beyond opposing right fielder Miguel Useche's reach at the base of the wall, driving in both runs.

Sanders settled in well after his 28-pitch first inning, completing 3.2 frames with three total runs (one earned) against him. Center fielder Josiah Hartshorn helped him out in the top of the third, delivering consecutive outfield assists. The No. 8 Cubs prospect threw out a runner at second and another at home plate, ending the half-inning on a flyball double play.

On the other side, left-handed starting pitcher Jamie Hitt delivered a strong performance for Fort Wayne, completing 6.2 innings for the first time in his professional career. Though he conceded seven hits and struck out only three, Hitt danced around trouble all day long. In the second inning, errors allowed two Cubs to enter scoring position, but Hitt punched out first baseman Drew Bowser to end the threat. In the next frame, two Cubs walked with one out, but the southpaw again escaped.

The Cubs got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, as Useche blasted a leadoff home run to left field. With Useche's fifth long ball of the year, the Cubs took a 3-1 deficit into the late innings. After missing an opportunity with two runners aboard in the sixth, South Bend finally broke through in the seventh.

With Hitt approaching 100 pitches, second baseman Christian Olivo doubled ahead of Hartshorn's nine-pitch walk, forcing Fort Wayne to summon the bullpen. On came left-hander Javier Chacon, who allowed a two-out single to third baseman Matt Halbach with men on the corners. The hit should have only plated one run, but it ended up tying the game on Fort Wayne's wild throw into third. Chacon then walked four in a row, pushing the Cubs into a 5-3 lead. Useche would make it 7-3 in the eighth, rolling a two-run single into left for his third hit of the day.

South Bend's first two relievers dazzled to make sure that lead held up, totaling 4.1 scoreless innings. Right-hander Ben Johnson relieved Sanders with zeroes across 1.1 innings, and fellow righty Nazier Mulé followed with five strikeouts in three shutout frames. The Cubs had trouble in the ninth, though, needing both Ethan Bell and Kenten Egbert to close out a two-run victory.

With a 5-1 series win against Fort Wayne in the rearview mirror, the Cubs will next pay a visit to the Quad Cities River Bandits. The seven-game series, which will feature a doubleheader on Friday, begins at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday, June 2.

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Midwest League Stories from May 31, 2026


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