By Mike Monaco

LANSING, Mich. – Lansing flooded South Bend with early offense and downed the Cubs, 8-1, on Wednesday morning in the third game of the four-game series at Cooley Law School Stadium.

The Lugnuts scored twice in the first and added five more in the second to coast past the Cubs and hand South Bend its fourth consecutive loss and its seventh in the last eight games. Lansing roughed up South Bend starter Zach Hedges, who allowed eight runs on eight hits and three walks in six innings. The right-hander walked just four batters through his first six starts (31 innings).

Lansing starter Sean Reid-Foley struck out a career-high seven batters in three scoreless innings, as the 19-year old worked into trouble but escaped it by way of the K. Lugnuts reliever Chase Mallard surrendered one run in five innings of relief.

Cubs first baseman Gioskar Amaya finished 2-for-3 with a single, double and walk. Amaya had one multi-hit game in his first 25 games, but the Venezuelan now has four such games in his last nine.

For the sixth time in their last seven meetings, Lansing scored in the first inning. Center fielder Anthony Alford worked a leadoff walk, and the Lugnuts had runners at second and third after a single and stolen base by No. 2 hitter D.J. Davis. Shortstop Richard Urena then dribbled a slow-roller to third, and Alford raced in from third to beat the throw from Cubs third baseman Jesse Hodges. Cleanup hitter Rowdy Tellez then knocked a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Davis and extend the margin to 2-0.

After striking out three and stranding two in the top of the first inning, Lugnuts starter Sean Reid-Foley dodged danger again in the second. The Cubs loaded the bases with one out, but Reid-Foley fanned the top of the South Bend order — center fielder Rashad Crawford and shortstop Gleyber Torres — to maintain the 2-0 lead. South Bend stranded one runner (nine total) in each of the first six innings.

Lansing went back to work in the third, and No. 9 hitter Chris Carlson’s RBI roller through the right side scored second baseman Justin Atkinson. Alford then pushed the advantage to 4-0 with a single to left field, scoring third baseman Gunnar Heidt. Davis then made it 6-0 with a two-run double to left field. Urena got in on the act with a sacrifice fly to right field and lifting the edge to 7-0.

The Cubs grabbed their first run in the top of the sixth inning against Mallard. Designated hitter David Bote walked and advanced to third on a double by third baseman Jesse Hodges. Bote then scored on an RBI groundout by pinch-hitter Andrew Ely. Lansing snatched the run right back and surged ahead 8-1 on an RBI two-bagger by Heidt in the home half of the sixth.

South Bend collected three base hits in the eighth inning, but base-running blunders quieted the Cubs.

The Lugnuts have won five consecutive games against South Bend.

Torres finished 0-for-5, ending his 24-game on-base streak that began April 22.

Game Two Story

South Bend suffered its worst loss to highlight its worst stretch of the season, dropping the series finale and cementing the sweep at the hands of Lansing, 17-2, on Thursday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.

The Cubs (18-23) hadn’t lost by more than seven runs or allowed more than 10 runs in any game this season. Before its 8-1 loss Wednesday, South Bend’s biggest loss this season had been by five runs. The Cubs have now lost five games in a row and eight of their last nine. South Bend’s last five-game losing streak was in August 2013, when the Silver Hawks dropped eight in a row.

The Lugnuts (24-17) scored in six of the first seven innings, including three in the second, eight in the sixth and three more in the seventh. The 17 runs are the most scored by any Midwest League team this season and the most allowed by South Bend since July 4, 2012, when Dayton downed the Silver Hawks, 17-4.

South Bend starter Trevor Clifton allowed six runs (four earned) in five innings, while walking three and punching out six. After the Lugnuts scored their fifth run in the third inning, Clifton settled in and only surrendered one more hit while adding all six strikeouts from there.

Cubs first baseman Cael Brockmeyer (1-for-3) socked a two-run home run, and second baseman Andrew Ely (2-for-3) collected the first multi-hit game of his South Bend career.

For the seventh time in their eight meetings, Lansing scored in the first inning. Leadoff man Anthony Alford worked a walk, scooted to second on a passed ball, moved to third on a bunt and jogged home on a sacrifice fly.

The Lugnuts quickly tacked on another in the second, as catcher Danny Jansen scraped an RBI double down the left-field line to score right fielder Josh Almonte and push Lansing up 2-0. Shortstop Gunnar Heidt extended the margin to 3-0 with a sacrifice fly to right field. No. 9 hitter Chris Carlson triples and scored on a wild pitch.

In the third, Rowdy Tellez’s leadoff double turned into a fifth run, as the bruising slugger cycled the bases thanks to a wild pitch and passed ball.

After allowing a leadoff single to Cubs shortstop Gleyber Torres to begin the night, Lansing starter Chase De Jong retired the next nine batters he faced.

Cubs second baseman Andrew Ely began the fourth with an infield single. Two batters later, first baseman Cael Brockmeyer clobbered a two-run home run to left field off the scoreboard, getting South Bend on the board, 5-2. Brockmeyer’s second home run of the season came 40 games after his first — the walk-off shot on Opening Night.

With two outs and runners at the corners in the bottom of the fifth, Lansing manufactured another run to make it 6-2 when Tim Locastro scored from third after the runner at first, Tellez, got in a rundown between first and second.

Carlson’s RBI double off of Cubs reliever David Garner in the sixth widened the gap to 7-2. Alford followed with a single to right field to score Heidt. Locastro cracked an RBI base knock of his own and extended the lead to 9-2. With the bases loaded, Ryan McBroom shot a two-run double to left field.

The ninth batter of the inning, Almonte drove a two-run single to center field and completely broke it open, 13-2. An RBI groundout made it 14-2. In total, Lansing plated eight runs in the sixth, as Garner faced 10 batters and recorded one out.

Lansing poured on two more in the seventh on a two-run double by Tellez. Jansen’s RBI single made it 17-2.
South Bend infielder David Bote faced the minimum in a scoreless eighth inning on the mound.

With a ninth-inning single, South Bend left fielder Charcer Burks extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Torres grounded out to shortstop to end the top of the third inning and limped down the first-base line. Torres returned to his perch at shortstop in between innings but was then removed from the game.

Following its seven-game road trip, South Bend returns home to host Bowling Green in a four-game set that begins Friday at 7:35 p.m. ET at Four Winds Field. Cubs right-hander Ryan Williams (3-1, 0.72 ERA) will toe the rubber opposite Hot Rods righty Enderson Franco (3-2, 3.18 ERA).