Myrtle Beach, South Bend Each Lose Second Playoff Game

The Chicago Cubs A-ball teams each competed in their second playoff games with neither coming away with a win, ending Myrtle Beach's season and forcing South Bend into a decisive game three.

The Chicago Cubs Single-A affiliate Myrtle Beach and High-A affiliate South Bend each competed in their second postseason games with the South Bend Cubs looking to complete a sweep and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans looking to avoid one. Unfortunately, neither was successful in either regard.

Myrtle Beach which saw its season come to an end at the hands of the 88-44 Charleston RiverDogs. The Pelicans went down swinging, getting home runs from Haydn McGeary, Josue Huma, and Moises Ballesteros, but the pitching just couldn't keep up as starter Didier Vargas surrendered seven runs in just 3.2 innings en route to the Pelicans' 10-6 loss. 

Myrtle Beach finished with a 78-53 record and saw the breakouts of players like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Luis Devers, and Kevin Alcantara.  Many players from the Pelicans' first-half championship team were promoted, but other players such as Ballesteros and the Cubs' 2022 15th-round pick McGeary flashed promise during the second half. 

As for South Bend, the Cubs held a 3-2 lead after the top of the fifth inning following four solid innings from Porter Hodge, but disaster struck in the bottom of the frame. Reliever Adam Laskey was able to get two outs before loading the bases and being relieved by the normally reliable Joe Nahas. 

Nahas only added fuel to the fire however as the righty walked the first batter he faced to tie the game, hit the next batter he faced allowing Cedar Rapids to take the lead, and then balking in the third run of the inning giving the Kernels a 5-3 lead. 

That score would ultimately hold, as the Cubs were unable to rally allowing Cedar Rapids to tie the series at one apiece. South Bend will take on the Kernels in the winner-take-all game three at 6:35 p.m. CDT Friday in Cedar Rapids. 

Also on the farm:

Triple-A: Iowa Cubs (63-75) vs Memphis Redbirds (67-71): W 10-5

• Darius Hill went 2-for-4 with two doubles. The outfielder is now third in minor league baseball with 155 hits. 
• Alex Canario returned to Iowa's lineup for the first time since Sept. 1. The 22-year-old went 1-for-3 with a walk. 
• Brennen Davis went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. The top prospect has a 141 wRC+ since his return to Iowa on Aug. 30.
• Ben Leeper tossed a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout, to secure his tenth save.

Double-A: Tennessee Smokies (70-64) at Chattanooga Lookouts (59-74): L 5-3

• Yonathan Perlaza went 0-for-1 with three walks, raising the outfielders OPS to .840.
• Dalton Stambaugh tossed four innings, striking out six and allowing just one run. 
• Cole Roederer went 2-for-4 with a home run. The outfielder has a 180 wRC+ in the last week.

High-A: South Bend Cubs (1-1) vs Cedar Rapid Kernels (1-1): L 5-3

• Luis Verdugo was the only Cub with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. 
• BJ Murray Jr. reached base three times. The first baseman is batting above .300 since June 29.
• Fabian Pertuz had the lone South Bend homer. The second baseman had eight in the regular season. 

Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans (0-2) vs Charleston RiverDogs (2-0): L 10-6

• Ballesteros's home run came in his lone at-bat as he pinch-hit in the ninth.
• McGeary and Huma each had additional hits along with their home runs. McGeary went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBI while Huma went 3-for-5.
• Juan Mora went 1-for-2 with three walks. 

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