By Mike Monaco

SOUTH BEND – Two months into his first full season, South Bend left-hander Tommy Thorpe was finally set for his first pro start. Two weeks later, he was still waiting for the weather to clear for his debut.

But beneath blue skies and sunshine for his last two outings, Thorpe has delivered. The left-hander pitched South Bend to a 4-2 win over Lansing on Monday night at Four Winds Field.

Thorpe dealt five innings of one-run ball, tallying three strikeouts against just one walk and three hits. In two professional starts, Thorpe has only surrendered the one run in 10 innings.

“I was missing up and away with the fastball and threw the curveball and it looked like it was going up and away again, but it would just drop down into the zone, and they would look at it or swing and miss,” Thorpe said.

The southpaw compiled consecutive standout seasons as a starter at Oregon as a sophomore and junior.

“Doing my own routine that I did when I was a starter, it has helped me a little bit in terms of performance,” Thorpe said.

South Bend (4-1 second half, 33-39 overall) scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to snap a 1-1 tie and topple the Lugnuts (2-3 second half, 44-31 overall).

The Cubs have won four of their first five second-half games and six of their last seven overall.

“Execution, collective effort pitching has been great, defense has been pretty solid,” South Bend manager Jimmy Gonzalez said. “And coming through offensively. I think there’s certain situations where we didn’t execute, but there were others that we did. That’s the key.”

Cubs third baseman Jason Vosler (2-for-4), designated hitter Yasiel Balaguert (3-for-4, one RBI) and first baseman Gioskar Amaya (3-for-4, one run) spearheaded the offense.

Cubs reliever Corbin Hoffner followed Thorpe in the sixth inning, making his South Bend debut after joining the squad Sunday from Short-Season Eugene. The sidewinder punched out four in three scoreless stanzas and held runners at first and third to escape the seventh.

“It seems like he’s getting lower and lower with that arm angle,” Gonzalez said. “These guys had no chance. He pitched well, kept the ball down, which is key. It doesn’t matter how you throw.”

In total, South Bend pitchers stranded two Lugnuts in each of the second, third, fourth and seventh innings.

Lansing cleanup hitter Ryan McBroom clubbed a solo home run to deep left-center field to begin the top of the second inning. McBroom leads the Midwest League with a .347 average.

Cubs left fielder Charcer Burks countered with a game-tying, line drive solo home run of his own in the bottom of the third to knot the game, 1-1. The long ball was Burks’ first home run of the season and second of his professional career.

“Since I’m the last one, I’m gonna end up with the most,” Burks joked of his retorts to heckling teammates.

South Bend loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Lansing reliever Chase Mallard tossed a pickoff attempt to third, and the ball deflected off of Amaya and bounced to the side wall. Amaya jogged home, and Rashad Crawford darted in from second to hand the Cubs their first lead — 3-1.

Balaguert then supplied a two-out RBI single to right-center field to score shortstop Gleyber Torres and widen the gap to 4-1.

The Lugnuts managed a run in the ninth, but new reliever Dillon Maples secured the save in his South Bend debut.

South Bend and Lansing return to Four Winds Field on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET for the middle matchup in their three-game set. Cubs right-hander Zach Hedges (3.97 ERA) is set to oppose Lugnuts righty Sean Reid-Foley (3.65 ERA).