Chicago Cubs Minor League Recap: Ben Cowles Powers Iowa as Affiliates Take Three of Four

[Travis Klosinski]

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Ben Cowles Drives In Five As Iowa Routs St. Paul, 10-3

The Iowa Cubs sent 11 batters to the plate in the first inning, scored six runs, and never gave the lead back in a 10-3 win over St. Paul.

Owen Miller opened the scoring with a home run.

Kevin Alcantara walked, Greg Jones singled, and Ben Cowles followed with a three-run home run. Ethan Hearn hit a home run of his own, Ed Howard singled, Hayden Cantrelle was hit by a pitch, and Justin Dean singled home the sixth run.

Cowles was not done. He singled home Jones in the second, and he and Jones hit solo home runs in the fifth, and then Hearn drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth for the final Iowa run.

Add it all up, and Cowles finished 3-for-3 with two home runs, five RBI, a walk, and two runs scored. Jones went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, an RBI, and three runs scored. Howard added two hits, and Alcantara drew two walks. Iowa totaled 10 hits, five home runs, and 10 RBI, and left seven runners on base.

Kohl Franklin started and worked four innings, allowing three hits and one run with two walks and three strikeouts. Evan Taylor took the win after two innings of two-hit relief with two strikeouts. Antoine Kelly gave up two hits over 1 1/3 innings and struck out three. Eduarniel Nunez finished with 1 2/3 innings, one hit, two runs, one walk, and three strikeouts.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Justin Dean	5	0	1	1	0	2
BJ Murray	5	0	0	0	0	2
Owen Miller	4	2	1	1	0	0
Kevin Alcantara	3	1	0	0	2	2
Greg Jones	4	3	2	1	1	1
Ben Cowles	3	2	3	5	1	0
Ethan Hearn	3	1	1	2	1	0
Ed Howard	4	1	2	0	0	2
Hayden Cantrelle	3	0	0	0	0	3

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Kohl Franklin	4	3	1	1	2	3	1
Evan Taylor	2	2	0	0	0	2	0
Antoine Kelly	1 1/3	2	0	0	0	3	0
Eduarniel Nunez	1 2/3	1	2	2	1	3	1

Knoxville Breaks A 1-0 Deficit With Four-Run Seventh In 6-1 Win

The Knoxville Smokies collected five hits without scoring through six innings before turning the game around in a 6-1 win over Rocket City.

Trailing 1-0, Knoxville strung together a four-run seventh. Carter Trice singled, Karson Simas singled, and leadoff man Kane Kepley walked to load the bases. Alex Ramirez singled home a run, and Miguel Useche doubled to clear the bases and put Knoxville up 4-1.

Two more runs followed in the eighth. Dom Krupinski walked, Alex Madera singled, Simas singled home a run, and Kepley doubled home another. Ramirez led the offense at 3-for-5 with an RBI. Simas matched him with three hits in four at-bats, an RBI, and a run scored. Useche went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI, the most of any Smokies player.

Brody McCullough started and gave Knoxville five innings, allowing three hits and one run without a walk while striking out eight. Daniel Palencia followed with a hitless inning on a rehab assignment. Yenrri Rojas earned the win with two innings, one hit, no runs, and two strikeouts. Tyler Ras closed it out with one inning and one hit. Knoxville pitching held Rocket City to five hits, walked none, and struck out 10.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Kane Kepley	4	1	1	1	1	0
Alex Ramirez	5	1	3	1	0	0
Miguel Useche	4	0	2	3	0	1
Andy Garriola	3	0	0	0	0	1
Dom Krupinski	3	1	0	0	1	1
Carter Trice	3	1	1	0	1	1
Ariel Armas	4	0	1	0	0	2
Edgar Alvarez	0	0	0	0	0	0
Alex Madera	4	1	1	0	0	1
Karson Simas	4	1	3	1	0	0

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Brody McCullough	5	3	1	1	0	8	0
Daniel Palencia	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Yenrri Rojas	2	1	0	0	0	2	0
Tyler Ras	1	1	0	0	0	0	0

South Bend Rallies Late But Falls At Great Lakes, 8-6

The South Bend Cubs spotted Great Lakes eight runs over the first four innings and could not close the gap, losing 8-6. South Bend answered in the first when Kade Snell walked and Josiah Hartshorn singled him home.

Logan Poteet hit a home run in the second. 

Matt Halbach hit a home run in the seventh. Hartshorn drove in Snell again with a single in the eighth.

The ninth inning brought South Bend within two. Alexey Lumpuy singled, Poteet singled, and Brennan Hudson doubled home a run. Snell grounded out to bring in another before Angel Cepeda struck out to end the game with Hudson standing at third.

Hartshorn finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Halbach went 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored. Poteet also had two hits, a home run, an RBI, and two runs scored. Lumpuy added two hits and a run.

Nazier Mule started and took the loss, allowing six hits and eight runs, seven of them earned, over 3 2/3 innings with three walks and three strikeouts. Yoendris Gonzalez followed with 2 1/3 innings, four hits, no runs, and two strikeouts. Ethan Bell added two innings, two hits, no runs, and two strikeouts.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Kade Snell	4	2	0	1	1	2
Angel Cepeda	4	0	0	0	1	2
Josiah Hartshorn	4	0	2	2	0	0
Jose Escobar	4	0	0	0	0	1
Matt Halbach	4	1	2	1	0	0
Alexey Lumpuy	4	1	2	0	0	1
Logan Poteet	4	2	2	1	0	0
Brennan Hudson	4	0	1	1	0	2
Geuri Lubo	4	0	0	0	0	2

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Nazier Mule	3 2/3	6	8	7	3	3	2
Yoendris Gonzalez	2 1/3	4	0	0	0	2	0
Ethan Bell	2	2	0	0	0	2	0

Derniche Valdez Drives In Four As Myrtle Beach Pulls Away, 11-4

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans broke a 4-4 tie and then buried Hill City with a six-run eighth inning in an 11-4 win.

Myrtle Beach led 4-1 through three innings. Ethan Conrad singled home Jose Silva in the first with a well-placed chop to shallow right. 

Juan Cabada brought in Derik Alcantara on a force out in the second, and Corey Nunez doubled home Caden Sorrell before Derniche Valdez added a sacrifice fly in the third.

Hill City tied it in the fifth without a hit. Nunez singled home Conrad to put Myrtle Beach back in front, then the eighth broke the game open. Ivan Cespedes was hit by a pitch, Cabada doubled, Silva singled in a run, and Sorrell singled in another. Nunez walked, and Valdez tripled to clear the bases.

Nunez finished 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, two RBI, and two runs scored. Valdez drove in four on his triple and sacrifice fly. Cabada, Silva, Sorrell, and Conrad each had two hits. Myrtle Beach totaled 13 hits and left nine runners on base.

Chase Meyer started and gave the Pelicans 3 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and one run with three walks and six strikeouts. 

Geovanny Vasquez did not allow a hit over 1 2/3 innings but walked three and gave up three runs, two of them earned. Jordan Henriquez worked one inning with one hit, one walk, and one strikeout. Luke Alwood took the win with three innings, one hit, one walk, and five strikeouts.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Juan Cabada	5	1	2	1	0	0
Jose Silva	4	2	2	1	0	1
Caden Sorrell	5	2	2	1	0	2
Ethan Conrad	5	1	2	1	0	2
Corey Nunez	4	2	3	2	1	0
Derniche Valdez	4	1	1	4	0	1
Derik Alcantara	3	1	0	0	2	0
Fernando Cruz	4	0	0	0	1	3
Ivan Cespedes	3	0	1	0	0	1
Jan Luis Reyes	0	1	0	0	0	0

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Chase Meyer	3 1/3	2	1	1	3	6	0
Geovanny Vasquez	1 2/3	0	3	2	3	2	0
Jordan Henriquez	1	1	0	0	1	1	0
Luke Alwood	3	1	0	0	1	5	0

Top-20 Prospect Performance

1. Jefferson Rojas: DNP
2. Pedro Ramirez: DNP
3. Jaxon Wiggins: DNP
4. Josiah Hartshorn: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
5. Kevin Alcantara: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K
6. Ethan Conrad: 2-for-5, 3B, RBI, 2 K
7. Kane Kepley: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB
8. Owen Ayers: DNP
9. Jonathon Long: DNP
10. Kaleb Wing: DNP
11. James Triantos: DNP
12. Brooks Caple: DNP
13. Mason McGwire: DNP
14. Ty Southisene: DNP
15. Will Sanders: DNP
16. Juan Cabada: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI
17. Eli Lovich: DNP
18. Ariel Armas: 1-for-4, 2 K
19. Jostin Florentino: DNP
20. Grant Kipp: DNP

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