Clippers blast four homers, rout Cubs 12-8 to split series

Iowa landed the first punch, but Columbus kept answering until Huntington Park turned into a launch pad. The Clippers erased a 2-0 deficit with five runs in the bottom of the first and never let the Cubs reclaim control, winning 12-8 on Sunday behind four home runs, 15 hits and a steady stream of pressure that fit the afternoon’s 17 mph wind blowing out to left field.

Cooper Ingle was the difference-maker. The Cleveland prospect entered the day carrying a 1.403 OPS through his first 28 at-bats of the season, and he backed up the numbers with a 3-for-4 performance that included two homers and an RBI single. His first blast came after Columbus had already flipped the game, and his second pushed the lead far enough that Iowa’s offense could never fully turn the final innings into a real threat.

The opening rally set the tone. Kody Huff got in on the power surge with his fourth homer of the season, Milan Tolentino added another, and Columbus kept stacking quality at-bats instead of settling for the big swing and hoping for the best. Tolentino entered the game at .309 with six homers, 14 RBI and four stolen bases, and he had spent the week driving the ball all over the yard, hitting .500 while leading the league with four home runs, 10 RBI and a 1.250 slugging percentage. That kind of form is why the Clippers could keep trading punches instead of going quiet after Iowa’s early lead.

The supporting cast mattered too. Nolan Jones, Stuart Fairchild and Kahlil Watson all reached base multiple times, giving Columbus the sort of traffic that makes one mistake pitch turn into a crooked number. The Clippers finished with 15 hits in a game that lasted 3 hours and 1 minute before 5,219 fans at Huntington Park, and Pedro Avila’s five innings, five runs and three strikeouts were enough to keep the bullpen working with a cushion instead of from behind.

Daniel Espino added a clean late frame, striking out two in a scoreless inning as he continued his return path after the long injury layoff. Columbus improved to 11-10, salvaged the split in a six-game series that had swung back and forth all weekend, and left the finale with the kind of loud, messy win that can change the feel of a road trip in a hurry. The Clippers head to Buffalo next, then return home April 28 for a six-game set against Toledo.