Cubs Minor League News: Murray homers, PCA hustles, Thompson impressive, more
Photo courtesy: Iowa Cubs

Cubs Minor League News: Murray homers, PCA hustles, Thompson impressive, more
by - Senior Writer - Sat Apr 20 10:00:08 GMT-04:00 2024

Friday was a busy night on the diamond for the Cubs Minor League system, as four teams played five games. What looked like a promising night early on turned into a nightmare as the Cubs limped to a 1-4 overall record.

LOUISVILLE BATS 9 - IOWA CUBS 6

After having their game postponed the other day, the Cubs were set for a doubleheader on Friday. What looked like a blowout win for the Cubs, turned sour quickly as the Bats five-run fifth inning was the difference in the game. Julio Teheran took the ball for his first start in the Cubs system and allowed five runs in just 4 1/3 innings.

Teheran allowed a Hernan Perez single in the second and a Mike Ford homer in the third, but was backed by a Cubs offense that scored five times in the second inning. Ali Sanchez and Pete Crow-Armstrong provided the early offense with a pair of RBI doubles, putting the Cubs in front 3-1.

Owen Caissie added a bases-loaded walk to push things to 4-1 with a wild pitch, making things 5-1.

Leading 5-2 in the fourth, BJ Murray Jr. capped off the Cubs' scoring with an RBI single to make things 6-2. It was all downhill from there, as four RBI singles sparked a five-run fifth inning, which led to the Bats' 9-6 comeback win.

LOUISVILLE BATS 4 - IOWA CUBS 1 (Game 2)

After dropping their first game of the doubleheader, the Cubs looked to even things up as Sam McWilliams took the ball. Granted, this was a much better start than his last outing, but Carson Spiers anchored a pitching staff that allowed just one run in a 4-1 doubleheader sweep.

Erik Gonzalez opened the scoring with a second-inning RBI single, while the Ford double and PJ Higgins single extended the lead to 3-0 in the third. That score would hold until a Perez sacrifice fly in the top half of the sixth, with Murray Jr closing out the scoring with a solo blast in the bottom half of the sixth.

TENNESSEE SMOKIES 5 - MONTGOMERY BISCUITS 1

The lone team to come away with a win on Friday was the Tennessee Smokies, who took care of the Biscuits 5-1. This team got crushed 15-2 on Thursday, so frustration played a role in this win.

Credit Matthew Thompson and the pitching staff for this win as the right-hander gave the Smokies five strong innings, striking out four and scattering five hits. That outing put Thompson in line for a victory as the Pablo Aliendo homer in the second was the only run of the game until the seventh inning.

It was in the seventh when Montgomery got on the board, as Willy Vasquez delivered the game-tying RBI double. That didn't last long, though, with Josh Rivera adding an RBI double in the bottom of the inning to put the Smokies back in front 2-1 before they added three more runs in the eighth. James Triantos, Aliendo, and Christian Franklin all picked up RBI singles in the eighth to deliver the 5-1 win.

BELOIT SKY CARP 5 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 4 (F/10)

The Cubs just can't buy a win right now, as the Sky Carp rallied for an extra-inning win to remain unbeaten at home. Drew Gray has had mixed results as a starter this season, and after walking five and striking out four in two innings, that continued. He did, however, only allow one run, which isn't the worst thing in the world.

Pitching with the lead certainly helps. South Bend battled back from an early deficit, as the Pedro Ramirez triple gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead in the second. Those were the lone runs that Karson Milbrandt would allow, as he struck out six across six innings. Still holding a narrow lead in the seventh, Carlos Santiago connected for a two-run blast off of Joe Nahas, and just like that, it was a 3-2 Sky Carp lead.

Refusing to go down without a fight, Brennen Davis tied things up in the top half of the eighth when he scored on a wild pitch only to have Jonathan Long put the Cubs on top with a bases-loaded walk. Nahas continued to struggle in the eight, with Joe Mack narrowly missing a homer as his double brought things back to even and helped send the game to extras.

It was in the extra frame when the Sky Carp finished things off with Mark Coley II picking up the walkoff single to lift Beloit to the 5-4 win and keep them unbeaten at home.

KANNAPOLIS CANNONBALLERS 4 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 1

Speaking of teams who can't buy a win right now, one day after ending their six-game losing streak, the Pelicans' offense struggled again as they fell to Kannapolis 4-1. That marks eight losses in nine games, and things haven't been pretty in Myrtle Beach.

The loss takes away from a much better outing by Marino Santy, who, although battled through some command issues, only allowed an unearned run through three. That run came in the first as the Pelicans played from behind again. One run may not seem like a ton, but when Seth Keener held the Pelicans to three hits, it looked like a mountain.

Keener also had some command issues while only allowing one run himself, with that one coming in the fourth on a Reggie Preciado RBI forceout. That would be it in terms of the Pelicans offense as the Cannonballers pushed across the winning run on the Luis Pineda homer in the sixth before adding RBI doubles from Arxy Hernandez and Ryan Galanie in the seventh and eighth innings to seal the 4-1 win.

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