South Bend Cubs explain weekend washout

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Despite their best efforts, opening weekend was a washout for the South Bend Cubs. 

Team President, Joe Hart, tells ABC57 the groundskeeping crew worked tirelessly from before the sun came up Friday to minutes before the game was canceled to try and get the infield in playable condition.

But even after 12-plus hours of work, it was deemed a safety risk for players.

Hart says the rain earlier in the week, as well as wet weather Saturday morning was too much for the field to handle, and the moisture stayed trapped in the infield clay for too long. 

Hart maintains the team could play today if needed, and the groundskeeping crew has put in over 50 hours of work since Friday to fix the infield surface. 

The team tells us they reached out to Chicago White Sox Groundskeeper, Roger Bossard, Friday night, and he provided a guide on how to handle the situation. He then visited the field Monday morning to get a better look at conditions and strengthen the team's plan. 

Hart believes that the surrounding construction likely had no impact on the field's ability to handle drainage, but is looking into the issue nonetheless. 

He says that while this weekend was a disappointment, he's thankful for the Chicago Cubs organization and its players for staying Friday to help entertain fans with a kickball game and autograph signing. 

Hart also guaranteed as long as he's team President, another issue like this won't happen again; he's confident that the field will be in playable shape for Tuesday, April 14th, their next home game against the Beloit Sky Carp.