Cubs Beat Peoria 10-3, Win Sixth Consecutive Series

South Bend put some extra style points on its postseason-clinching series.
SOUTH BEND – The South Bend Cubs (38-21) won their series against the Peoria Chiefs (32-31) with a 10-3 victory on Sunday afternoon at Four Winds Field. After clinching a postseason berth on Saturday, the Cubs finished the week by winning their sixth consecutive series.
For the second consecutive day, Peoria’s starting pitcher could not get out of the first inning. As the Cubs scored two runs in the bottom of the first, right-hander Blake Aita threw at least six pitches against each of the first five hitters he faced. Center fielder Kane Kepley and designated hitter Josiah Hartshorn each walked and pulled off a double steal before scoring on left fielder Jose Escobar’s triple. The three-bagger hit the top of the wall in right-center field, giving Escobar 5 RBI in the last two games.
Righty reliever Bobby Olsen took over for Aita with two outs in the first and gave up another run in the second. Cubs second baseman Alex Madera led off with a single, stole two bases, and crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly from center fielder Kane Kepley.
Right-hander Alfredo Romero made the start for the Cubs, beginning his day with two scoreless innings before encountering trouble in the third. Second baseman Jesus Baez reached on an error at the top of the order, and third baseman Jack Gurevitch walked on four pitches. That brought up designated hitter Jalin Flores, who tied the game with a long three-run home run to left field.
Romero’s outing would end after that game-tying third inning, leading to an excellent day from the South Bend bullpen. Cub relievers combined for 6.0 shutout frames, beginning with 3.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts from righty Nazier Mulé. Right-handers Kenten Egbert, Nate Williams, and Ethan Bell then each provided a scoreless inning to bring the game to its conclusion.
In the meantime, South Bend’s offense took over in the second half of the game. A pair of two-out rallies pushed the Cubs’ new lead to 8-3 at the end of six innings. In the fifth, third baseman Matt Halbach singled before an Escobar walk, setting up right fielder Miguel Useche to launch a three-home run into the left-field corner on the first pitch. Useche’s eighth home run of the year gave the Cubs a 6-3 lead, cutting through a strong breeze blowing in from the left-field corner.
Another two Cubs runs came home in the sixth, as Kepley, shortstop Christian Olivo, and Hartshorn all singled with two outs. Hartshorn’s base hit drove in a run, and it set up Olivo to score on a wild pitch shortly after.
South Bend added the game’s final two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Hartshorn nailed the right-field videoboard with a long solo home run, bringing his full-season long ball total to 13. With Sunday’s 3-for-4 performance, Hartshorn now has five home runs in the past seven games, along with eight home runs and 28 RBI in 18 High-A games. Another wild pitch would deliver the Cubs’ 10th run later in the inning.
After Monday’s off day, the Cubs will begin a new six-game series with the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Parkview Field on Tuesday, June 16. The series, which begins at 7:05 PM on Tuesday, will carry into the second half of the Midwest League schedule.