Iowa Cubs 5, Toledo Mud Hens 4 (F/10)(box)
The Cubs fought back with runs in the ninth and then the 10th to win in 10 innings.
Austin Gomber got the start for Toledo, and the veteran lefty allowed two runs in 3.1 innings of work. The Hens got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Trei Cruz singled with one out and stole second and then third base. He scored on a wild pitch to make it a 2-1 Cubs lead.
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Carl Edwards Jr. succeeded Gomber, and allowed a run in the top of the sixth to make it 3-1. In the bottoom half, the Hens answered back. Josue Briceño walked with one out and Justice Bigbie singled. Cruz walked to load the bases, and Andrew Navigato walked to force in a run. Jayden Murray then balked in another run and walked Seby Zavala. The Cubs went back to the pen, but Cruz scored on a ground out to take a 4-3 lead. Jace Jung followed with a walk as well, but James Outman flew out to end the threat.
Yilber Diaz handled the eighth, but in the top of the ninth, Luke Taggart blew the save. Jack Little allowed the runner on second to score in the top of the tenth, and the Hens couldn’t match them.
Anderson: 3-4, BB, K, CS
Bigbie: 2-3, R, BB
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Cruz: 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K, 2 SB
Gomber: 3.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Friday with the Hens up 2-1 in the series.
Erie SeaWolves 6, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 3 (box)
Lucas Elissalt put together another good start with a ton of whiffs and the SeaWolves fought back from an early deficit to win again on Thursday.
Elissalt got the first two outs of the game, one on a swinging strike three, but surrendered a single and then in a 1-1 count, Aaron Parker got a 93 mph fastball on the outer third and lifted it the opposite way for a two-run shot.
Elissalt then proceeded to rack up nine more strikeouts, scattering a couple of hits and a walk the rest of the way, to collect the next 10 outs. He used a lot of pitches to do it and was done after four, but a 10 strikeout day is pretty impressive. 24 whiffs is downright brilliant. Elissalt continues to look better with his slider and changeup, but they’re a work in progress. It’s his extension and lively riding fastball, along with his power curve, that are doing most of the lifting. Last time out he was 94-95 mph and touched 97. He was more back in the 93-95 mph range in this one. Elissalt just needs to keep refining things and getting more consistent and he’ll be ready for a move up to Toledo, probably to start the 2027 season. He could help the Tigers out next summer in either the rotation or the pen.
The SeaWolves tied things up in the third. Peyton Graham led off with a walk and stole second base as EJ Exposito struck out. That makes 58 stolen bases for Graham this year. Zyhir Hope followed Exposito by drawing a walk. Thayron Liranzo lined out to right, but Andrew Jenkins took a pitch the opposite way for a two-run double. 2-2 game.
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Walks got the Cats in trouble in the fourth as Roberto Campos and Patrick Lee started the inning drawing free passes. Seth Stephenson bounced into a force of Campos at third, but Graham walked to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Lee, and then Exposito crushed his 22nd home run of the year for a 6-2 lead.
Eric Silva gave up a run in the fifth, but Dariel Fregio, Marco Jimenez, and Colin Fields combined to slam the door in the late innings, with Fields earning the save.
Jenkins: 2-4, 2 RBI, 2B, K
Hope: 1-3, R, BB, K
Campos: 2-3, BB, K
Graham: 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB, K, SB
Elissalt: 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 10 K
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Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start on Friday with the SeaWolves up 2-1 in the series.
West Michigan Whitecaps 5, South Bend Cubs 2 (box)
The Whitecaps stormed from behind with a four-run top of the ninth inning to take down South Bend again on Thursday.
Lefty Win Scott, a 23-year-old undrafted free agent signed early this season on a minor league deal, got the start in this one. He was excellent for 3.1 innings of scoreless ball. Scott isn’t really stretched out fully to start yet, but he scattered two hits and a walk, punching out five for a solid outing. Jalen Evans handled the rest of the fourth, and Maddox Long took over in the fifth.
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West Michigan had some traffic on the bases in the early innings, but didn’t break through until the sixth. John Peck reached for the third time by getting hit to leadoff the inning, and Ricardo Hurtado walked. A wild pitch scored Peck.
Long allowed two runs in the bottom of the seventh, and it looked like the Cubs might hold on, but in the top of the ninth the ‘Caps fought back. Clayton Campbell singled and Andrew Sojka walked to open the inning. Stephen Hrustich was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and suddenly the Cubs were in deep trouble. Wild pitches scored two runs, with a Samuel Gil pop-up in the middle, and then Carson Rucker walked. A balk scored Hrustich, yes this was an absolute meltdown from the Cubs’ pen, and Juan Hernandez singled in Rucker for a 5-2 lead.
Zack Lee was good in relief, striking out three in two innings of relief to earn the victory.
Campbell: 2-4, R, 2 K
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Peck: 1-1, R, BB, HBP
Scott: 3.1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: Bryce Rainer had the night off, so he’ll look to extend his five-game homer streak on Friday at 7:05 p.m. as the ‘Caps look to secure at least a split in this series.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 6, St. Lucie Mets 2 (box)
The Flying Tigers kept it rolling on Thursday as Cale Wetwiska threw a good game and his teammates ran wild on the bases, stealing six bags on an otherwise fairly quiet day for the offense.
Wetwiska sat 95 mph with his fourseamer, topping out at 96.9 mph while averaging 18 inches of induced vertical break. The whiffs were plentiful as he collected eight on the fastball, four on the slider, and two more on his 81 mph high spin (2616 rpms) curveball.
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The Flygers struck first, as Michael Oliveto, holding an .884 OPS so far in his first look at full season ball, drew a one-out walk. A passed ball got him to second and Nick Dumesnil doubled him home for a 1-0 lead.
Wetwiska lost that lead in the second. A walk, double, single combo in the inning scored two runs. Wetwiska didn’t allow anything else, going five innings with two runs allowed and eight strikeouts on the night.
In the top of the fourth, Zach MacDonald led off with a walk and then stole second base, one of three steals for him in this one. Brady Ballinger flew out, getting MacDonald to third, where he scored on an error on a grounder from Anibal Salas.
Jude Warwick walked to open the fifth inning, moving to second on an Oliveto ground out. Angel De Los Santos hit one to shortstop and that was booted, allowing Warwick to score. De Los Santos then stole second and third base. MacDonald dumped in a pop-up to score him, and then stole second and third as well, scoring on a Ballinger single for a 5-2 lead.
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Javier Osorio blasted a solo shot for his seventh round-tripper with the Flying Tigers in the top of the eighth. Johnathan Rogers and Frenny Grant closed this one out.
Oliveto: 1-3, R, 2 BB
MacDonald: 1-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, 3 SB
Osorio: 2-4, R, RBI, HR, SB
Wetwiska (W, 3-0): 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:10 p.m. ET start on Friday as the Flying Tigers look for their fifth straight victory.
