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It’s too early in the year to use up one of my “Nothing to see here” recaps on the I-Cubs, so you get a full report tonight.
Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs were silenced by the Nashville Sounds (Athletics), 7-0.
Iowa starter Alec Mills was knocked around for four runs on four hits over 4.1 innings. Mills walked three and struck out six.
Left fielder Bijan Rademacher was 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. Shortstop Mike Freeman was 2 for 3.
Tennessee Smokies
Travel day. Home opener versus Jackson on Wednesday night.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were cut short by the Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox), 6-4.
Starter Matt Swarmer got the loss after he surrendered three runs, two earned, on eight hits over 4.2 innings. He struck out six and walked no one.
Left fielder Daniel Spingola played his first game of the season and he hit a three-run home run to reduce the Dash lead to 5-4, but Myrtle Beach never got any closer. Spingola was 1 for 4.
Second baseman Andruw Monasterio was 2 for 4 and he scored two runs.
The Pelicans fall to 1-5, which is the worst start in franchise history.
We do have highlights:
South Bend Cubs
The South Bend Cubs trailed the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays), 9-1 after 2 1⁄2 innings, but the Cubs stormed back to run the Hot Rods off the road, 13-11.
Brendon Little didn’t get out of the first inning in his 2018 debut. Little retired the first two batters he faced but then gave up a double, a wild pitch and a walk. Little could have gotten out of the inning when he struck out first baseman Devin Davis, but he struck out Davis on another wild pitch which allowed the first run of the game to score and Davis to reach first safely. A triple made it 3-0 and after another walk, Little exited the game, having thrown 35 pitches. (The Cubs have an inning pitch limit in the low minors.) The Hot Rods greeted reliever Yapson Gomez with an RBI single to make it 4-0.
The final line on Little was four runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an innings. He had that one strikeout that didn’t count as an out.
After Gomez gave up seven more runs in the next three innings, Elvis Diaz relieved him and got the win after 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. Diaz gave up one hit. He didn’t walk anyone and he struck out one.
Brian Glowicki really earned his first save of the season by pitching the final three innings without allowing a hit or a run. Glowicki did walk one batter and he hit one batter. He struck out four.
South Bend powered their comeback with four home runs, including a grand slam by left fielder Chris Carrier that gave South Bend the lead for good. Carrier was 1 for 4.
First baseman Michael Cruz hit a two-run home run in the second inning. Cruz was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored twice.
Third baseman Austin Filiere hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Filiere went 3 for 5 with a double and the home run. He had a two-run single in the third inning and four total RBI. Filiere scored three times.
DH Jared Young led off the six-run sixth inning with a home run. Young was 2 for 5 with a double and two runs scored.
It was the first home run of the season for all of them.
Every South Bend hitter had at least one hit except leadoff hitter and center fielder Zach Davis, and even Davis walked, stole a base and scored a run, so they let him hang with the cool kids (the rest of the team) after the game anyway.