Chicago Cubs Minor League Report (4/21): Cole Mathis Powers South Bend Cubs in High-A Debut

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report: April 21

Affiliate Overview

Triple-A Iowa Cubs
Series vs. Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds): Cubs trail 1–0
Season Record: 11–10

Double-A Knoxville Smokies
Series vs. Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds): Lookouts lead 1–0
Season Record: 8–8

High-A South Bend Cubs
Series at Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds): Lead 1–0
Season Record: 9–4

Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Series at Fayetetville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros): Woodpeckers lead 1–0
Season Record: 9–7

Triple-A: Iowa Cubs

Season Record: 11–10
Series Opponent: Louisville Bats (13–9)
Series Standing: Trail 0–1

April 21: The Iowa Cubs opened their series with the Louisville Bats with a 10-3 defeat. The Bats jumped out to a 6-0 lead after four, thanks to a five-spot in the third, and held on the rest of the way. The Cubs scored all three of their runs in the home-half of the fourth, thanks to Dylan Carlson’s (1-for-4) three-run home run, his first of the season. BJ Murray went 3-for-4, extending his hitting streak to six games. Chas McCormick also posted a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-3. Paul Campbell took the loss in the start, allowing seven runs, six earned, over 4 2/3 innings of work, striking out two.

Double-A: Knoxville Smokies

Season Record: 8–8
Series Opponent: Chattanooga Lookouts (13–3)
Series Standing: Trail 0-1

April 21: The Knoxville Smokies were blanked in their series opener vs. the Chattanooga Lookouts, 4-0. The Lookouts scored all four of their runs in the second to claim their fifth-straight win. Andy Garriola and Karson Simas each posted two-hit nights. It was Garriola’s fourth two-hit performance in seven games. Nick Dean took the loss in the start, allowing four runs on five hits over three innings of work, picking up three strikeouts. Dawson Netz, Vince Reilly and Tyler Ras combined for six shutout innings in relief, yielding just three hits and whiffing six batters.

High-A: South Bend Cubs

Season Record: 9–4
Series Opponent: Dayton Dragons (9–4)
Series Standing: Lead 1–0

April 21: The South Bend Cubs used a six-run rally in the ninth to earn a 16-10 shootout victory on Tuesday night. The Dragons took a 3-0 lead after two before the Cubs got on the board in the third through Christian Olivo’s solo blast, his first of the year. Dayton pushed the lead to 5-1 with two more runs in the bottom-half of the frame before South Bend posted two runs in the fifth, with Kade Snell (2-for-4) and Matt Halbach (2-for-6) picking up RBI knocks. Snell would later pick up another RBI on a sacrifice fly in the seventh, capping another two-run frame that would tie the contest at 5-5. The Cubs took their first lead of the ballgame with five runs in eighth, through an RBI-groundout from Justin Stransky (0-for-4), a three-run double from Cole Mathis (1-for-6) and an RBI-single from Snell, his third of the contest. Dayton would bring the game level with four runs in the home-half of the eighth but the Cubs erupted for six runs in ninth to put the game away. Stranksy was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give South Bend the lead and Halbech would put the contest out of reach with a three-run single to make it 16-10. Ethan Flanagan allowed one run on three hits over four innings of work, striking out four, and Ethan Bell would earn the win with two scoreless frames, allowing just one hit.

Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Season Record: 9–7
Series Opponent: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (4–12)
Series Standing: Trail 0–1

April 21: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans suffered a 6-2 defeat to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers to open their series on Tuesday night. The Woodpeckers took a 3-0 lead in the second and pushed their advantage to 4-0 with a run in the fourth. The Pelicans got on the board with a pair of runs in the seventh through RBI-singles from Josiah Hartshorn (2-for-5) and Michael Carico (1-for-4). Fayetteville would grab those runs right back in the home-half of the frame and would go on to earn the 6-2 win. Dominick Reid suffered the loss in the start, allowing three runs on five hits over three innings of work, picking up one strikeout.

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