Cubs Minor League Wrap: Disappointing end for South Bend

We’ll start with South Bend tonight.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were hijacked by the Quad Cities River Bandits (Royals), 3-1. The River Bandits win the best-of-three Division Series 2 games to 0 and advance to the Midwest League Championship Series. South Bend season ends now.

Nazier Mulé started and took the loss, although he pitched well. Mulé allowed one run on two hits over three innings. The one run scored on a pop fly that landed just fair down the line in left in the second inning for a double. Mulé walked two, hit one batter and struck out three.

South Bend’s bad luck continued in the sixth inning when reliever Cole Reynolds gave up another RBI double on a soft pop up that landed near the line just beyond first base.

South Bend could not do much against Quad Cities starter and the Royals’ top prospect Kendry Chourio. He held South Bend without a hit through four innings and while he did give up a pair of singles in the fifth, the Quad Cities bullpen bailed him out.

The only South Bend run came in the seventh inning when center fielder Caden Sorrel, playing in his first game in High-A, singled home second baseman Reginald Preciado. Both Sorrell and Preciado were 2 for 4.

Reliever Anhuar Garcia hit a batter with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth to give the River Bandits their two run lead back. South Bend went quietly in the eighth and ninth to end the season.

It was a disappointing loss for South Bend, who had one of their best seasons in memory. But that happens in baseball.

Here’s Sorrell’s RBI single. His first hit looked a lot like this one too.