Yohendrick Pinango drove in all three runs for the South Bend Cubs in a 3-0 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Wednesday night at Four Winds Field. The result put Wisconsin and South Bend into a tie for first place in the second half, Western Division standings through eleven games.
Wisconsin (45-31 overall, 9-2 second half) had a chance to score in the first inning against South Bend starting pitcher Jordan Wicks. Joe Gray Jr walked with two outs. Tristan Peters lined a double to the gap in left-center. Gray raced for the plate and dove with a headfirst slide but was ruled out on the relay throw home by shortstop Fabian Pertuz.
Pinango hit a one-out, solo home run on a 2-2 pitch from Puello in the bottom of the fourth inning to put South Bend (43-34, 9-2) up 1-0. Pinango barely got a piece of the previous pitch from Puello, but it was enough to extend the at bat and he hit the next offering off the scoreboard for his eleventh home run of the season.
Wicks left with six strikeouts and two hits allowed over five scoreless innings.
Puello left the game after seven innings. He allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out four as he left the game with the Rattlers facing a 1-0 deficit.
Luis Devers, who was making his Midwest League debut, took over for Wicks in the top of the sixth and retired the first seven batters he faced. Ethan Murray snapped that streak with a one-out single in the eighth. Ashton McGee followed with a single to center. Devers escaped the jam with a ground out and a pop out to keep the Rattlers off the scoreboard.
South Bend added to their lead with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Joey Matulovich relieved Puello and allowed a one-out single to Luis Verdugo and a two-out walk to Yeison Santana. That brought Pinango to the plate and he ripped a 2-0 pitch to the corner in right for a two-run double.
Gray was hit by Eduarniel Nunez with one out in the top of the ninth and was at second with two outs and Zavier Warren at the plate. Warren had an eleven-game hitting streak in jeopardy and he lined a 3-2 pitch from Nunez down the third base line, but Verdugo made a diving grab of the ball to end the game and Wisconsin’s six-game winning streak.
The game took just 1:55 to play, the quickest, nine-inning game of the season for the Timber Rattlers.
Game three of the series is Thursday night. Antoine Kelly (2-3, 3.55) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Kohl Franklin (0-5, 8.42) is set to start for the Cubs. Game time is 6:05pm CDT.
