By Mike Monaco

PEORIA, Ill. — South Bend came back in the eighth, blew the lead in the ninth, reclaimed it in the 13th and lost in the 16th, 7-6, against Peoria in the series opener Saturday night at Dozer Park.

The Cubs (26-34), who have lost five consecutive games, had tallied just one hit through the first seven innings before a three-run eighth turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 advantage. Despite adding an insurance run in the top of the ninth, South Bend coughed up the lead in the bottom of the ninth to the Chiefs (30-32).

South Bend shortstop Jason Vosler’s RBI triple scored Cubs designated hitter Yasiel Balaguert in the top of the 13th and handed the Cubs a 6-5 advantage. But Chiefs third baseman Andrew Sohn blooped a single in the home half of the 13th to tie the game.

In the bottom of the 16^th, Peoria second baseman Darren Seferina clobbered a one-out double. Then, Chiefs left fielder Vaughn Bryan sent everyone home in the early hours of Sunday morning with a walk-off single.

Seven different Peoria pitchers combined for 24 strikeouts and 255 pitches. Cubs relievers David Garner, Francisco Carrillo, Ryan McNeil, Brad Markey and James Farris combined for nine-plus innings out of the bullpen. The Cubs played two seven-inning games Friday, the second of which was decided in an extra frame.

In a matchup of the top two active ERA leaders in the Midwest League, Peoria starter Daniel Poncedeleon bettered South Bend starter Jeremy Null, who began the night with a league-best 1.75 ERA, a few shades lower than Poncedeleon’s 2.14 mark. The Chiefs right-hander surrendered just one hit in six innings of six-strikeout ball. Null, meanwhile, gave up three runs on six hits and a walk in his six frames.

The Chiefs scored two runs in the first and led 3-1 entering the eighth.

Peoria struck in the bottom of the first for a pair of runs on a two-run, two-out double from first baseman Alex De Leon.

The Cubs jumped on the board in the third. South Bend left fielder Rashad Crawford ended a 10-pitch at-bat with a walk, and he scored from first on a two-out RBI double by leadoff man David Bote, trimming the deficit to 2-1.

Peoria nabbed the run back in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by No. 9 hitter Andrew Sohn to vault ahead 3-1.

Poncedeleon struck five of six Cubs hitters in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

After roughly a 70-minute rain delay in the seventh inning, Cubs right-handed reliever David Garner worked a scoreless stanza.

Then in the eighth, Cubs right fielder Jeffrey Baez worked a one-out walk. After stealing second, Baez scored on an RBI single chopped up the middle by Crawford to bring the Cubs within one, 3-2. Bote then blasted a no-doubt, two-run home run to catapult South Bend in front, 4-3.

Cubs catcher Gioskar Amaya added an RBI single in the ninth to reel in shortstop Jason Vosler from second.

South Bend righty Francisco Carrillo allowed tow runs on three hits in the bottom of the ninth.

South Bend and Peoria return to Dozer Park in Peoria, Illinois, on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET for the middle matchup in the three-game set. Cubs right-hander Erick Leal (4-4, 5.19 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Chiefs righty Matt Pearce (3-6, 3.99 ERA).