South Bend Sweeps Doubleheader Over Fort Wayne with 3-1, 4-0 Victories

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South Bend Sweeps Doubleheader Over Fort Wayne with 3-1, 4-0 Victories

June 15, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


Fort Wayne, IN - The South Bend Cubs have won a season-high six games in a row, and have also been victorious in the first five games of this week's road series at Parkview Field in Fort Wayne over the TinCaps. After Friday's postponement, South Bend swept Saturday's doubleheader against their in-state rival, winning 3-1 in Game 1, and 4-0 in Game 2.

Since Wednesday, South Bend has surrendered just two runs in the last four games. That goes along with two shutouts, and heading into Sunday, the Cubs can sweep an opponent on the road in six-games for the first time in team history.

Game 1 on Saturday got started with Ryan Gallagher on the mound for South Bend, opposed by Fort Wayne starter Isaiah Lowe. In a back-and-forth pitcher's duel to start, Lowe worked three perfect innings, which were also matched by three scoreless from Gallagher. Following a shutout fourth by both right-handers, the Cubs got on the board first in the top of the 5th thanks to a bases loaded balk committed by Lowe. South Bend left two runners on to end the inning though, settling for the 1-0 lead.

Gallagher worked 5.2 shutout innings before allowing a game-tying solo home run to Brandon Butterworth in the bottom of the 6th. It was the only run Gallagher let in, as he threw a career-high 102 pitches, becoming just the third South Bend Cubs pitcher ever to throw 100 or more pitches in a game. He joined Derek Casey (2021), and Justin Steele (2016) as the only Cubs pitchers to hit the century-mark in a game.

South Bend made a move to the bullpen in the 6th, bringing in righty Joe Nahas. The 2022 Midwest League Champion got the Cubs out of a jam, with Fort Wayne having runners at first and second base in a go-ahead situation. Nahas escaped the inning with a zero, and the Cubs game up in the top of the 7th versus lefty Harry Gustin.

Gustin had worked a shutout 6th inning, but in the 7th, Reggie Preciado ignited a rally with a single. Drew Bowser then crushed a double to right-center, but it leap-frogged the wall, going for an automatic double. Preciado took third, and South Bend had runners at second and third for lead-off man Carter Trice. With Trice at the plate, he continued his red-hot June with a two-run single. Trice drove in both runners, giving him his 10th and 11th RBI in June.

Up 3-1, Nahas worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the 7th inning to close out the win.

Following a 40-minute break, the Cubs changed jerseys from their baby blue tops to their road trip grays. Erian Rodriguez finally got his chance to take the mound again, after his outing last Friday at home was cut short due to rain, and his game on Friday was rained-out. The pause didn't bother Rodriguez, as he put together the best start of his career.

He was opposed by righty Eric Yost, who beat South Bend when the TinCaps were in town back on May 11. Like Lowe, Yost's first two innings were perfect, but Rodriguez matched him with each frame.

Rodriguez worked around a double in the 1st, and a walk in the 2nd to post zeroes on the video board. In the 3rd, the Cubs got to Yost and loaded the bases thanks to Bowser and Rafael Morel singles, plus a Felix Stevens walk. Andy Garriola stepped up to the plate, and cleared the bases on a double off the left-center field wall. It was a three-run double, and South Bend took a commanding lead early.

In the 4th, Bowser reached base again via a walk, and Brian Kalmer doubled him in to make it 4-0.

From there, it was the Erian Rodriguez show. He mowed down TinCap hitters, and also got the help of his catcher, Ariel Armas, as the Cubs caught Jake Snider stealing. Still, Snider had a big doubleheader from a Fort Wayne perspective, with four combined hits in the two games.

The last base-runner to reach against Rodriguez was Braeden Karpathios with a single in the 5th. Rodriguez would work back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the 6th and 7th to cap-off a complete game shutout in seven scoreless frames, with four hits allowed, one walk, and five strikeouts. Rodriguez earned his first win of the season, and lowered his ERA to 2.53, all on 84 pitches.

South Bend's six-game winning streak will be tested on Sunday, when they look for the series sweep in the finale at 1:05 PM. Right-hander Kenten Egbert gets the start for the Cubs, opposed by lefty Luis Gutierrez in the Fort Wayne southpaw's Midwest League debut.

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