Horton Dominates as South Bend Rolls Past Peoria 4-1
Cubs win third straight to open series versus Chiefs
Peoria, IL – Earlier this month on July 6, the South Bend Cubs no-hit the Peoria Chiefs at Four Winds Field. 21 days later, the Cubs nearly did it again on Thursday night at Dozer Park in Peoria. Cade Horton and Max Bain combined for six innings of no-hit baseball, and the Cubs continued their winning ways in Central Illinois with a 4-1 victory.
With the win, the Cubs move closer to a playoff spot and are just two games back of that marker held in a tie by the Beloit Sky Carp and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. South Bend now is only a game back of the Chiefs.
Thursday night got started in a premium way with Cade Horton taking the ball in search of a little revenge against the Chiefs. On July 5, Horton allowed five runs to Peoria. Tonight, he was nearly perfect.
It was a tough day to be a pitcher. 95 degrees, felt like 102. Humid, hot, steamy in Downtown Peoria. But Horton showed no signs of struggle.
Horton hit R.J. Yeager with a pitch on the second batter of the first inning, but that was his only blemish. In fact, the Cubs gave Horton the lead to work with before he threw his first pitch of the game. Ezequiel Pagan laced a single into center to begin the ballgame against Zane Mills, and Kevin Made then bounced a double up the left field line for a 1-0 lead.
That was the only run Mills surrendered, but he took the loss in five innings of work. As the Cubs took the lead in the first two hitters of the game, they never relinquished it. Horton finished his day with four no-hit, scoreless innings with no walks and five strikeouts.
Out of the bullpen, Max Bain continued the no-hit bid as he worked two more no-hit frames. Bain’s only mistake was also hitting a batter. Other than that, it was quick work for the big right-hander.
South Bend added two key insurance runs in the top of the 7th, when Fabian Pertuz struck a double into the left field corner to score two runs. That was after Felix Stevens extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single, and Christian Franklin doubling off the center field wall.
Pertuz’s two RBI took the Cubs to the bottom of the 7th, where Peoria picked up their first hit. Alex Iadisernia smacked a double into right-center, and the no-hit bid came to an end. The Chiefs scored their only run of the game that inning, and then Jarod Wright and Sheldon Reed combined to record the final six outs.
South Bend picked up one more insurance run via a solo homer from Yohendrick Pinango. The Cubs continue to hit the ball well, as their 10 hits Thursday puts them at double-digit hit totals in every game this series.
The Cubs can now win the series already tomorrow with another victory. They’ll turn to righty Brandon Birdsell as Game 4 is set for 7:35 PM EST.
