Jefferson Rojas was too much for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Friday night.  The #3 prospect in the Chicago Cubs minor league system hit a pair of homers to lead the South Bend Cubs to a 6-2 victory over the Rattlers at Neuroscience Group Field.

Rojas gave the Cubs (33-52 overall, 10-9 second half) the lead two pitches into the game when South Bend’s lead-off hitter cracked an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left for his tenth home run of the season.

South Bend added to their lead in the bottom of the second.  Edgar Alvarez doubled off the wall in center to start the inning.  Drew Bowser followed with a triple to right-center to make it 2-0.

Ariel Armas lined a home run to left on an 0-2 pitch from Rattler starting pitcher Manuel Rodriguez to lead off the fourth inning.  The homer was his second of the series and the ninth of the series for South Bend.

Wisconsin (39-45, 5-14) got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Jadher Areinamo doubled with one out.  Cubs starting pitcher Erian Rodriguez walked Hedbert Pérez and hit Juan Baez to load the bases.  Tayden Hall drove in Areinamo with a sacrifice fly.

The Rattlers crept closer in the bottom of the fifth.  Blayberg Diaz doubled to start the inning and was still at second with two outs.  Then, Blake Burke drilled a 3-0 pitch to the wall in right for an RBI double.  That double by Burke was the only hit the Rattlers had with runners in scoring position on Friday night.   Wisconsin finished the night 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

The game remained 3-2 as reliever Stiven Cruz held the line against the Cubs through the seventh.  He got the final out of the fourth inning and worked around hits in the fifth, sixth, and seventh.

In the eighth, Cruz gave up singles to Cameron Sisneros and Armas and left the game with runners at the corners with one out.  Bayden Root took over for Cruz and gave up an RBI single to Alvarez.

Rojas struck again in the ninth with a two-run home run to left.  Rojas has hit four homers in this series and this one, in a steadily increasing downpour, sealed South Bend’s fifth straight win.

The Rattlers were outhit 14-7 on Friday night and have been outhit 46-35 in the first four games of this series.
 

Game five of the series is scheduled for Saturday night at Neuroscience Group Field.  Tanner Gillis (1-1, 1.71) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  South Bend has named Ryan Gallagher (4-5, 3.70) as their starter.  Game time is 6:40pm.