TinCaps Bury Cubs with Nine-Run First Inning, Win 14-9

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MWL South Bend Cubs

TinCaps Bury Cubs with Nine-Run First Inning, Win 14-9

May 6, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


South Bend, IN - After taking a shutout loss on Sunday, the Fort Wayne TinCaps roared back to life offensively on Tuesday at Four Winds Field. In their series opener against the South Bend Cubs, they scored nine runs in the first inning en route to a 14-9 win. Both teams finished the game with double-digit hits, Fort Wayne posting 14 and South Bend totaling 13. The TinCaps now stand at 16-12 on the year, while the Cubs are 7-21.

Right-hander Tyler Schlaffer toed the slab as South Bend's starting pitcher, aiming to bounce back from a rough start that spanned only one inning last week in Cedar Rapids. On Tuesday, he only got one out, conceding six earned runs. Schlaffer's outing opened with back-to-back walks, and he eventually walked the bases loaded for designated hitter Sean Barnett, who singled in a pair to start the scoring. Center fielder Nerwilian Cedeño later singled home two more runs, chasing Schlaffer from the contest.

Fort Wayne kept attacking against South Bend reliever Chase Watkins, who inherited two baserunners. Left fielder Jack Costello stretched the lead out to 5-0 with a single before shortstop Leo De Vries and third baseman Rosman Verdugo each barreled a hit that drove in two. All in all, the TinCaps recorded 13 plate appearances in the first inning, scoring nine runs on six hits as all nine of their hitters reached base.

In spite of the massive deficit staring down at them from the right-field videoboard, the Cubs battled back a bit in the bottom of the first inning. Working against Fort Wayne right-hander Ian Koenig, who had also covered only one inning in his last start, South Bend plated a pair in the frame. Second baseman Jefferson Rojas wasted no time extending his hit streak to seven games, powering an RBI triple to left-center field. Left fielder Andy Garriola followed with a two-out single that brought the Cubs back within a 9-2 score.

After Watkins held the TinCaps scoreless in the second and third innings, Fort Wayne got going again with a four-run fourth. Right fielder Braedon Karpathios led off with a double, later touching home for a 10th TinCap run on Cedeno's RBI single. Costello then matched Cedeno with three runs batted in for the night, ripping another double that scored two. A groundout topped off the half-inning, which ended with Fort Wayne leading 13-2. Right-hander Carlo Reyes pitched the entire top of the fourth for South Bend, facing all nine Fort Wayne hitters in the lineup.

South Bend's bullpen limited the TinCaps throughout the rest of the night, finishing the game with 8.2 innings and five runs conceded. Lefty Evan Taylor turned in two scoreless frames with four strikeouts in his Four Winds Field debut. Right-hander Kenyi Perez followed with two more shutout innings, punching out two and ending the top of the eighth with a groundball double play. Fellow righty Sam Thoresen handled the ninth, allowing Fort Wayne's 14th run on a Barnett double.

An 11-run deficit proved too much for the Cubs' offense to overcome, though. Koenig put himself in line for the win, finishing off five innings of two-run baseball with six strikeouts. South Bend did do some damage against the Fort Wayne bullpen in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs on a bases-loaded double from right fielder Ivan Brethowr. The Cubs would add four more runs in the ninth, with center fielder Carter Trice stroking an RBI single and first baseman Brian Kalmer plating a pair with a single of his own.

Karpathios, Barnett, and Costello led the TinCaps at the plate, each getting on base four times. Costello and Cedeno both collected three hits and three RBI as well. For South Bend, Alvarez got on base five times to stretch his hit streak to four games, while Rojas posted three hits to achieve a seven-game hit streak.

The Cubs and TinCaps will make a quick turnaround entering Wednesday's ballgame, which is scheduled to start at 11:05 AM. South Bend right-hander Kohl Franklin will make his 2025 debut on the mound against Fort Wayne righty Clark Candiotti, the No. 26 Padres prospect.

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