Felix Stevens hit two homers, including a grand slam in a big sixth inning, to lead the South Bend Cubs to an 11-3 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Saturday afternoon at Four Winds Field. The Timber Rattlers held a 3-2 lead after the fifth inning but could not hold on as they dropped their second straight game to the Cubs.
Wisconsin (5-3) got on the board with three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Mike Boeve, who had walked in the first inning to extend his season-opening on-base streak to eight games, singled to start the fourth. Luke Adams drew a walk and – after a force play at second on a grounder by Gregory Barrios – Matt Wood walked to load the bases.
Jesús Chirinos got the first run home with a sacrifice fly to left. Chirinos hit the ball deep enough for Boeve to score and Barrios to take third. Then, Luis Devers, the Cubs starting pitcher, committed a balk to let Barrios score. Eduarqui Fernández followed with an RBI double to left and Wood scored for a 3-0 lead.
Devers had pitched twenty innings against the Timber Rattlers over four appearances between the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He had allowed just one run to Wisconsin prior to this afternoon.
Alexander Cornielle, the Wisconsin starting pitcher, retired twelve of the first thirteen batters he faced in the game. South Bend (3-5) got to him in the bottom of the fifth.
Stevens hit the first pitch of the Cub fifth over the wall in center for a home run. Yohendrick Pinango was next, and he lined an 0-2 pitch to the wall in right. The ball hit the yellow line at the top of the wall but did not go out. Pinango was out at second after he realized the ball was not a homer and tried to get in for a double.
Ed Howard restarted the rally by singling and going to second on a wild pitch. Cornielle almost got out of the inning as he was 3-2 with two outs on Reivaj Garcia, the Cubs ninth hitter. Garcia kept the inning alive with a single to right to score Howard and the Rattlers lead was down to one run.
The first two Cubs to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning reached on a walk and a single to end Cornielle’s day. Reliever Jake Polancic took over and hit the next batter to load the bases. Then, Stevens unloaded the bases with a home run to right-center for a grand slam and a 6-2 lead.
South Bend added three more runs in the inning after there were two outs. Brett Bateman doubled in two runs before Brennen Davis doubled Bateman across the plate. The Cubs sent eleven men to the plate, scored seven runs, and led 9-3 heading to the seventh inning.
In the seventh inning, Casey Optiz tripled with two outs to drive in the final two runs of the game.
The Wisconsin offense could not mount a comeback against the South Bend Bullpen. Jose Romero took over for Devers in the fifth inning and retired all seven batters he faced – four by strikeout. Chase Watkins pitched two perfect innings to close out the game for the Cubs.
Boeve is 6-for-9 with six walks in the last four games of this series with the Cubs.
The series finale is set for Sunday afternoon. Edwin Jimenez (1-0, 4.50) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. South Bend has named Tyler Schlaffer (0-0, 0.00) as their starter. Game time from Four Winds Field is at 1:05pm CDT.
