Parker Meadows homers twice for Toledo, while Jim Jarvis goes yard for West Michigan

Iowa Cubs 10, Toledo Mud Hens 2 (box)

Toledo Mud Hens 10, Iowa Cubs 8 (F/7)(box)

Tuesday’s contest was interrupted by rain in the top of the fifth inning. The Mud Hens were already down 6-0 courtesy of a rough start from Keider Montero. The right-hander could only go three innings after giving up a grand slam to Owen Cassie in the bottom of the first, and two more runs in the second. He was just too wild overall in this one, walking four to go with the grand salami.

In the fourth, Dillon Dingler led off with a double, and singles from Eddys Leonard and Bligh Madris followed to score Dingler. Ryan Vilade walked to load the bases, and Justice Bigbie’s sac fly made it 6-2, but that was all they’d get out of the inning.

Play resumed with Spencer Torkelson on first after a walk, and one out on the board in the top of the fifth. Dingler was hit by the first pitch of the day, but Andrew Navigato lined into an unassisted double play of Torkelson to end the inning.

The Tigers developed a scoring opportunity in the sixth, but squandered a pair of baserunners. Andrew Vasquez was rocked for four runs in relief to put this out of reach.

Dingler: 1-2, R, 2B, BB

Montero (L, 0-2): 3.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 2 K

They played seven innings for the regularly scheduled Wednesday game, and the Mud Hens rode a huge game from parker Meadows to victory.

Ty Madden got the start, and while he wasn’t at all efficient, he did show the best stuff we’ve seen since his promotion a month ago. Madden struck out eight in three innings of work, allowing a run on three hits and three walks. Those walks, as well as the strikeouts, cost him as he was already at 76 pitches after three.

Toledo got on the board first when Parker Meadows launched a solo shot 437 feet to right center field in the third inning. Madden allowed the Cubs to tie the game, but in the fourth, Bligh Madris led off with a solo shot, his seventh homer with the Hens this year, to make it 2-1. Trey Wingenter allowed a run to tie things back up in the bottom half.

Finally in the fifth the Hens blew this one open a bit.

Navigato and Meadows walked to start the inning. Torkelson smoked a single to left to score Navigato, and then Jace Jung walked to load the bases. After Ryan Vilade struck out, Madris walked to force in a run. A Justice Bigbie sac fly made it 5-2, and then Anthony Bemboom walked to re-load the bases. A single to center field from Ryan Kreidler scored two, and it was 7-2 when the inning ended.

However, Wingenter allowed a two-run shot in the bottom half that cut the lead to 7-4. The Cubs wouldn’t go away in this one.

Meadows led off the sixth with a single but was cut down trying to steal second. Torkelson walked, and Jace Jung doubled Tork to third. The Cubs intentionally walked Vilade and then went to the bullpen. A Madris sacrifice fly scored Torkelson to make it 8-4. In the seventh, Bemboom led off with a double and with two outs, Meadows stepped to the dish and again went yard, this time a 420 foot shot to centerfield to make it 10-4.

Devin Sweet got hit up in the bottom of the seventh, allowing four runs, but Sean Guenther collected the final out to escape the rally.

Meadows: 3-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR, BB, K

Torkelson: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 K

Madris: 1-2, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, BB

Madden: 3.0 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 K

Coming Up Next: With the series even, they’ll get back to work at 7:38 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Erie SeaWolves 9, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 1 (box)

The SeaWolves evened this series with a convincing victory on Wednesday.

They started fast and the hot hands stayed hot. Gage Workman and Carlos Mendoza walked to open the bottom of the first. Hao-Yu Lee stepped to the dish and mashed his ninth homer of the season to straightaway center field to extend his hit streak to 10 games.

Ben Malgeri led off the bottom of the second with a solo shot to make it 4-0. Mendoza walked again and stole second base, and with two outs, back-to-back doubles from Trei Cruz and Jake Holton produced two more runs to make it 6-0.

Austin Bergner continues to provide a steady veteran hand for the SeaWolves’ rotation. The right-hander spun six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and a walk with five strikeouts.

Malgeri doubled and scored on a Workman single in the sixth. In the seventh, Chris Meyers launched a two-run shot, his ninth of the year, to make it 9-0. Joel Peguero allowed a ninth inning run to reach the final score.

Malgeri: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B, HR, K

Mendoza: 1-2, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB, SB

Bergner (W, 3-1): 6.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET on Thursday night.

West Michigan Whitecaps 3, South Bend Cubs 2 (box)

A bullpen day went well for the Whitecaps, and a new shortstop provided the thump.

This was a pitchers’ duel early on. Max Alba and Dylan Smith combined for five scoreless innings, but were matched by the Cubs.

The offense didn’t really develop a scoring chances until two-out singles from Luis Santana and Roberto Campos in the fourth. Luke Gold grounded out to strand them. Finally, in the sixth, Seth Stephenson led off with a single, moved to second on a Jim Jarvis ground out, and was wild pitched to third. Seems like there are an awful lot of wild pitches with Stephenson on the basepaths. He scored on a Max Anderson ground out to take a 1-0 lead.

Tanner Kohlhepp’s own wild pitch led to an unearned run in the bottom half as the Cubs tied it up. Izaac Pacheco was stranded after a two-out double in the seventh. Finally, in the eighth, Bennett Lee led off with a walk, and with one out, Jarvis blasted a two-run shot to make it 3-1. The Tigers 11th rounder last year was promoted from Lakeland yesterday. The left-handed hitting infielder is off to a good start at the High-A level.

Zack Hess allowed a run in the bottom of the eighth, but Jack Anderson was able to slam the door in the ninth to earn his first save of the year.

Jarvis: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR

Stephenson: 1-3, R, K

Smith: 3.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: With the series even at a game apiece, first pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET on Thursday night.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 4, Jupiter Hammerheads 3 (F/10)(box)

The Flying Tigers made it four in a row with an extra innings victory over Jupiter on Wednesday.

Lakeland struck first because Jupiter walked four in the second inning to force in a run. That was helpful, because the Flying Tigers managed only four hits in this one. Hammerheads pitching was effectively wild, issuing a hilarious 12 walks, but the offense couldn’t take advantage of the endless parade of base runners.

Blake Pivaroff gave Lakeland two scoreless before turning it over to lefty Jake Miller. Miller spun two clean innings before allowing a run in the fifth that tied it. he settled back in for the sixth, and finally in the seventh, Lakeland scored again.

Kevin McGonigle reached second base on a ground ball and a pair of errors on Jupiter. Max Clark singled to right to get McGonigle to third, where he scored on a Samuel Gil ground out.

Hard-throwing relief prospect Thomas Bruss took over in the eighth with a clean inning and two strikeouts. In the bottom half, a wild pitch and two more walks loaded the bases with two outs, but McGonigle grounded out to first.

Bruss struggled in the top of the ninth, hitting a batter, throwing a pickoff away, and adding a wild pitch for good measure to blow the save. Jupiter scored two runs to take a 3-2 lead with the Flying Tigers down to their final three outs.

The Flying Tigers weren’t done though. Clark led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk. A one-out Clayton Campbell single moved him to second, and a fly out to third. Campbell then stole second, and David Smith was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jose De La Cruz came through with a huge line drive single to right field. Clark scored, but Campbell was cut down at the plate to send this to extras.

Eiker Huizi took over with the runner on second in the tenth, and he did a great job, striking out two and getting a fly out to turn it back to the offense. The Flying Tigers sacrificed Jose De La Cruz to third, and Patrick Lee walked. McGonigle pulled a grounder to third but they were able to get De La Cruz at home, and it looked like we were headed to the 11th. However, in the prior play, Patrick Lee has craftily advanced to third, and a wild pitch scored him to end it in pretty fitting fashion considering just how bad the Jupiter pitching staff was in this one.

Clark: 1-3, R, 2 BB, K, SB

Miller: 4.0 IP, ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start on Thursday, as the Flying Tigers look to win their fifth straight. They are now tied with the Clearwater Threshers atop the West division.