Acosta’s First High-A Homer Not Enough in Bandits’ Loss to Cubs

South Bend, Indiana – Angel Acosta launched the first home run of his High-A career, but it wound up Quad Cities’ only run-producing swing of the ballgame, as the River Bandits (30-36, 0-3) fell to the South Bend Cubs (41-25, 2-2) on Tuesday night at Four Winds Field.

For the fifth time in six games, the River Bandits surrendered the contest’s first run in the first inning and fell behind 1-0 on Matt Halbach’s RBI-single in the bottom of the opening frame.

Quad Cities’ starter Tanner Jones rebounded with a scoreless second and third inning before South Bend extended its lead to 3-0 in the fourth via Jose Escobar’s two-run homer.

Cubs’ right-hander Kevin Valdez struck out a career-high nine River Bandits over his 4.1-inning start, including six over the first three innings, but after walking Connor Rasmussen with one out in the fourth, Acosta won a six-pitch battle and dropped a two-run homer over the right-field fence to trim the Bandits’ deficit to 3-2 and knock Valdez from the game.

Jones kept it a one-run game with a scoreless fifth inning before turning the ball to Aiden Jimenez in the sixth, where the right-hander worked a scoreless frame of his own during his return from the Injured List.

While Quad Cities failed to score against the Cubs’ relief combo of Ben Johnson (1.2 IP, 0 R) and Adam Stone (2.0 IP, 0 R), South Bend plated three in the seventh against Yimi Presinal, with runs scoring on a Blake Mitchell passed ball, Angel Cepeda’s RBI-single, and Escobar’s RBI-double to increase its lead to 6-2.

The River Bandits stranded five men on base over the final four innings of the game, but never reached against Grayson Moore, who completed a perfect top of the ninth to close out the game.

Johnson (3-1) earned the win for South Bend, helping Valdez finish the fifth and completing a scoreless sixth, while Jones (2-4) took the loss for Quad Cities, allowing three runs on seven hits, two walks, and five strikeouts over 5.0 innings.

The River Bandits return to Four Winds Field for game two of the six-game series tomorrow night and send Emmanuel Reyes (5-2, 3.64) to the mound opposite Jostin Florentino (0-3, 6.53). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.