By Mike Monaco

DAYTON, Ohio – South Bend overcame three separate deficits, tying the game in the eighth on a two-base error and again in the ninth on an inside-the-park home run, but Dayton walked off in the ninth to complete the series sweep with a 5-4 win Thursday night at Fifth Third Field.

Dayton designated hitter Paul Kronenfeld lofted a long fly ball to deep left field to score first baseman Brian O’Grady from second base in the bottom of the ninth. The Cubs (20-28) couldn’t salvage the series finale, as Dayton (26-22) handed South Bend its 11th loss in its last 12 road games.

South Bend starter Ryan Williams, who entered the night with the best ERA in the Midwest League at 0.59, allowed four runs in eight solid innings. Red-hot first baseman Yasiel Balaguert (4-for-5, two runs) cracked a home run in the sixth and scored on a double and two-base error in the eighth. Balaguert has posted six consecutive multi-hit games and is 15-for-24 during the tear.

With the Cubs down 2-1 in the eighth, Balaguert doubled down the left-field line on a ball that landed close to the line. Dayton left fielder Narciso Crook thought the ball was foul and tossed it into the stands, and Balaguert jogged around to score the game-tying run on the two-base error.

Dayton snapped the tie in the last of the eighth. The Dragons placed runners at second and third after some confusion by the South Bend infield. With two outs, second baseman Avain Rachal lined a two-run single back where it came from, lifting the Dragons up 4-2.

But the Cubs weren’t done. Center fielder Charcer Burks blooped a single to start the ninth. With one out, second baseman Andrew Ely launched a long fly ball to the right-field wall, and Dayton right fielder slammed into the unpadded wall as the ball skittered away. Ely followed Burks and scored to complete the two-run, game-tying inside-the-park home run in the top of the ninth. Ely (4-for-5, two doubles) compiled his second consecutive multi-hit game.

The Dragons claimed their second walk-off victory against the Cubs this season.

Dragons starter Tyler Mahle scattered nine hits and fanned nine in 5.1 innings.

After retiring the first 12 batters he faced, Williams surrendered a leadoff double to O’Grady to begin the home half of the fifth. A sacrifice bunt shuttled O’Grady to third, and Kronenfeld slapped an RBI single to center field and pushed the Dragons to a 1-0 lead. The score snapped a stretch of 19 consecutive innings in which Williams did not allow an earned run.

South Bend knotted the score 1-1 in the top of the sixth, as Balaguert cranked a line-drive home run to left field, his second solo shot in as many days.

But the Dragons nudged ahead in the bottom of the inning, using a leadoff double from No. 9 hitter Nick Benedetto, a bunt and an RBI groundout to grab the 2-1 advantage.

The Cubs collected hits in each of the first four innings, including two in the first and fourth frames. But South Bend couldn’t solve Mahle, who stranded six baserunners in the first four innings.

South Bend right fielder Kevin Encarnacion got the start and tallied two singles. Encarnacion, a 23-year old from the Dominican Republic, joined South Bend on Wednesday and is playing in his first official games in more than 620 days after missing the entire 2014 season due to a right arm injury suffered in a car crash in Jan. 2014.

South Bend hits the road and starts a four-game series against Lake County on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio. Cubs right-hander Jake Stinnett (1-2, 5.79 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Captains lefty Justus Sheffield (4-1, 4.02 ERA) in a matchup of top-45 draft picks from 2014.