Cubs Shut Out Dragons
DAYTON, Ohio – South Bend starting pitcher Preston Morrison and two relievers combined on a three-hit shutout as the Cubs defeated the Dayton Dragons 4-0 on Friday night. The season’s third largest crowd, 8,647, attended the game at Fifth Third Field.
Morrison, a 2nd Team All-American in 2015 at TCU, worked the first seven innings to improve his record to 7-3. He allowed all three Dragons hits, all singles, while walking one and striking out six.
The Cubs scored two runs in the fifth to break the scoreless tie and then added two more in the eighth. The Dragons advanced only one runner as far as second base and that came in the first inning. They did not have a hit after the fourth.
Dragons starting pitcher Austin Orewiler (1-6) was charged with the loss. He worked four innings, allowing two runs on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts. Jesus Reyes followed Orewiler and pitched well, tossing three innings without allowing a hit or a run. He walked one and struck out two featuring a fastball that reached 98 mph. Mike Sullivan worked the eighth inning and allowed two runs before Conor Krauss came on to pitch a scoreless ninth.
The Dragons hits included infield singles by Kevin Franklin and James Vasquez and a hard single to left field by Juan Duran. The Dragons have scored just one run in the two games in the second half after winning four of their final five games in the first half.
The Dragons (0-2, 21-51) and Cubs (2-0, 43-28) will meet again in the third game of the series at Fifth Third Field on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.