Cubs Minor League News: Shaw homers twice including walk-off, Perez with two homers, more
Photo courtesy: Iowa Cubs

Cubs Minor League News: Shaw homers twice including walk-off, Perez with two homers, more
Dustin Riese Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 10 hours ago

IOWA CUBS 8 - SAINT PAUL SAINTS 2 (Game 1)

In what was game one of a doubleheader, it was the Iowa Cubs taking care of business as they scored seven runs in the span of two innings to roll to an 8-2 victory. It was more of the same for Connor Noland as the right-hander improved to 4-1 on the season.

Noland gave the Cubs six innings of two-run baseball, walking two and striking out eight as his ERA fell to 3.73 for the season. Noland was backed by an offensive barrage, including James Triantos, who delivered four RBIs in the victory. Three RBIs came in the first inning as his bases-loaded double put the Cubs in front 3-0 and proved to be the game-winning hit.

That score would hold until the fourth inning when the Cubs tacked on four more runs to open up a 7-0 lead. Owen Caissie stole home as part of that inning with Carlos Perez and Christian Franklin picking up back-to-back doubles.

Triantos closed out the big inning with an RBI single as the Cubs were in complete control.

Both Saints runs came from one swing as the Jair Camarago two-run blast ended the shutout and cut the Cubs lead to 7-2. That would be as close as things would get as Perez added a late-game homer to close out the scoring in an 8-2 win.

IOWA CUBS 8 - SAINT PAUL SAINTS 7 (F/8)

Looking to cap off a rare double header sweep, the Cubs had to battle from behind as things didn't look good early. That was until the seventh inning when they scored four times to force extras before tacking on three runs in the eighth to deliver the 8-7 walk-off win.

Looking to build off their strong offensive showing in the first game, Matt Shaw wasted no time as he delivered a first-inning home run to put the Cubs in front 1-0.

Shaw was just getting started as he added the biggest hit of the season later in the game. Unlike game one, where the Cubs controlled things start to finish, their lead didn't last long as a Will Holland RBI double brought things back to even in the second, 1-1, before the Saints took the lead 2-1 on a wild pitch.

That was only the beginning of a four-run stretch across two innings as the Saints added to their lead with a Mike Ford single before a sacrifice fly put Iowa in a 4-1 hole. Still trailing by that score in the seventh, Emmanuel Rodriguez tried to put the game away as his RBI triple pushed the Saints' lead to 5-1.

As has been the case more often than not this season, the Iowa offense doesn't need much time to get going, and all it took was a Jonathon Long double to get things started as the Cubs pulled within 5-2. Reese McGuire continued the comeback bid with a two-run shot before Perez added his second homer of the afternoon to tie things up and sent things into extras.

Once again, the Saints got after it early as the Mickey Gasper double brought home the go-ahead runs and put the Cubs in a 7-5 hole. Down to their final three outs, the Cubs continued to rely on the long ball as Chase Strumpf took it upon himself to tie things up with a two-run blast. That was only the start as Shaw finished things off how he started it by delivering a walkoff homer in the bottom of the eighth to cap off the Cubs 8-7 win.

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COLUMBUS CLINGSTONES 4 - KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 1 (F/11)

There hasn't been much to write home about when it comes to High-A South Bend, but RHP Jaxon Wiggins has been one of the lone bright spots. After cementing himself as one of the better pitchers in the lower-level minor leagues, Wiggins earned an early-season promotion as he is now on his way to AA.

In fact, Wiggins didn't have much time to waste as he was given the start on Thursday and performed admirably for his first time out. Although he didn't win, he also didn't take the loss as he allowed one run on three hits through four innings, walking one and striking out four. He gave way to Antonio Santos, who was supposed to start, as he followed Wiggins with four no-hit innings of five strikeout baseball.

Despite their efforts, the offense was tough to come by as the Smokies let one get away in 11 innings, 4-1. The lone run off Wiggins came in the second inning as Kevin Kilpatrick came through with an RBI single to put the Clingstones in front 1-0. It was a lead they nearly made hold up as Ian Mejia was brilliant on the mound, allowing three hits and striking out five through seven scoreless frames.

Knoxville needed all nine innings to score their first and only run of the game as a Casey Opitz sacrifice fly ended the shutout and sent things into extras tied 1-1. With neither team coming away with a run in the 10th, the Clingstones got the last laugh as they scored three runs in the top of the 11th to pick up the 4-1 win. David McCabe had one of those RBIs with a double before coming home on an Adam Zebrowski single. There was also a wild pitch mixed in there as the Smokies' offense couldn't do much of anything.

LANSING LUGNUTS 6 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 2

Not only did South Bend lose their ace, Wiggins, to AA, but he was also supposed to start this game, as this was the best chance the Cubs had to get back in the series. Instead, Connor Schultz got the call, and after allowing five runs in four innings, it was the Lugnuts getting the job done with a 6-2 win.

Schultz didn't pitch badly early in the game, allowing a T.J. Schofield-Sam RBI single in the third for the only run up to that point. Then came the fifth inning when the Lugnuts got to Schultz and put the game away as they scored five times to open up a 6-0 lead. Sahid Valenzuela and Rodney Green Jr. were responsible for two of those runs with a pair of singles, while sacrifice flies from Schofield-Sam and Cole Conn led to two more runs.

There was also a wild pitch mixed in there, as it was all Lugnuts up to this point. Given how well Grant Judkins was pitching, allowing two hits and striking out eight across 5 2/3, you knew runs would be challenging to come by for the Cubs as they couldn't get anything done most of the night. The Cubs did manage to claw back a little with Edgar Alvarez putting an end to the shutout with an RBI single in the sixth, followed by the Drew Bowser homer in the seventh.

Those were the final runs for either side as the Cubs fell again, 6-2. Bowser was one of three Cubs to record multiple hits, joining Miguel Pabon and Alvarez.

LYNCHBURG HILLCATS 4 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 3

What looked like a promising game most of the night turned sour quickly as the Pelicans let one get away. This time it came in the eighth inning as the Hillcats rallied for three runs in the eighth to take the lead and made it hold 4-3.

This game was the Alexey Lumpuy show as he was responsible for all three RBIs. It all started with an RBI double in the second to open the scoring before adding a two-run shot in the seventh to push the Birds' lead to 3-1.

Through seven innings, the only run of the game for the Hillcats came on a Will Fritsch wild pitch in the second as their offense was lifeless most of the game.

That all changed in the eighth as the Hillcats rallied to tie things and took the lead before holding on for the win. Jose Pirela got the three-run inning started with a bases-loaded hit by pitch, but the Jeffrey Mercedes single will go down as the game-winning hit. Lumpuy was responsible for three of the Pelicans' seven hits with Yahil Melendez adding two.

ACL BREWERS 6 - ACL CUBS 5 (F/19)

Another day and another loss as the ACL Cubs are now 0-9 for the season. This was extremely heartbreaking as the Cubs battled to force extras, only to fall again. Erian Rodriguez did his part by allowing two runs in four innings, as did Jostin Florentino, who struck out six across his four innings.

Trailing 1-0 in the first after the Jeferson Quero solo shot, the red-hot Eli Lovich continued to do damage as he tied things up with an RBI double. The Brewers retook the lead on a second inning single from Kevin Ereu before tacking on two more runs in the fifth on the Jose Anderson single to open up a 4-1 lead.

From that moment on, it was all Cubs as the comeback train began with a Christopher Paciolla RBI groundout in the fifth before stopping in the eighth. Joan Delgado played a role in that, picking up an RBI single to pull the Cubs within 4-3 and then racing home to score on a throwing error later in the inning to tie things up.

In the extra frame, it was Anderson coming up huge as his RBI triple put the Brewers back in front for good, 5-4. Anderson would come in to score later in the inning on a costly error, as that proved to be the game-winning run. Not ready to give up quite yet, Adan Sanchez kept things interesting with an RBI single, but that was it as the Cubs fell yet again, 6-5.

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