South Bend Cubs extend win streak to six with 5-2 win over Fort Wayne

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- South Bend Cubs extend win streak to six with 5-2 win over Fort Wayne.

The South Bend Cubs stayed hot Tuesday night, opening their six-game series against the Fort Wayne Tin Caps with a 5-2 win at Four Winds Field.

The victory marked South Bend’s sixth straight win and came with a little extra weight. Earlier this month, the Cubs dropped three games in three straight days to Fort Wayne. This time, South Bend flipped the script.

The Cubs entered the night 25-16 with one of the strongest run differentials in the Midwest League, and they showed why early. South Bend scored two runs in the first inning and added another in the second to take control of the game.

Fort Wayne pushed back with a run in the second and another in the ninth, but South Bend never let the game slip away.

The Cubs finished with eight hits, played error-free baseball and leaned on just two pitchers to get through the night. Alfredo Romero earned the win, improving to 2-1 on the season, while Jackson Brockett came in to close it out and earn the save.

South Bend general manager Daniel Wasinger said the difference over the last few weeks has been the team’s response after a tough previous series against Fort Wayne.

“The work has been good for these last few weeks,” Wasinger said. “Last time we played these guys, we had a tough series, so that kind of kicked us in the butt and got us in gear and made these guys realize that you can’t just go out and do it. It doesn’t just come to you, so they responded really well and I’m very happy about that.”

For South Bend, the formula has been simple but effective: score early, protect the baseball and trust the pitching staff. All three showed up Tuesday night.

Wasinger said the rest of the series will come down to executing that same game plan. Earlier in the season, the Cubs’ offense, defense and pitching staff were clicking at different times. Now, South Bend appears to be putting it all together.

The Cubs remain in first place in the Midwest League and will look to keep their win streak alive Wednesday morning. First pitch against Fort Wayne is set for 11:05 a.m. at Four Winds Field.