By Mike Monaco

SOUTH BEND – Dayton pounded 15 hits and stormed to a 10-1 win over South Bend in the series opener Wednesday night at Four Winds Field.

The Cubs (33-32 second half, 62-70 overall) are eliminated from playoff contention with their loss coupled with the win by West Michigan, which topped Fort Wayne, 1-0. South Bend is now six games behind the Whitecaps with only five regular-season tilts remaining.

South Bend starter James Norwood worked 5.1 innings and departed in the sixth inning with runners at second and third. After Norwood left, Dayton center fielder Narciso Crook hammered a two-run triple to deep center field. In total, Norwood allowed four runs on six hits and three walks.

Dragons starter Jake Paulson dealt eight frames of one-run ball.

South Bend leadoff man Charcer Burks (2-for-4, one single, one triple, one run) and first baseman Gioskar Amaya (2-for-4, two doubles, one RBI) powered the offense.

In the bottom of the first, Amaya clubbed a wall-ball double to left field to score Burks and hand South Bend an early 1-0 lead.

Dayton tied the game, 1-1, in the road second on a fielder’s choice from center fielder Narciso Crook.

The Dragons grabbed the 2-1 lead in the third when No. 3 hitter Gavin LaValley punched a two-out RBI single up the middle to score leadoff man Shed Long.

Dayton surged ahead 4-1 in the sixth when Crook connected on his two-run triple. Shortstop Cory Thompson then cracked an RBI single against South Bend’s drawn-in defense to make it 5-1.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh, ripped a two-run single at Cubs third baseman David Bote to extend the lead to 7-1.
LaValley sliced a two-run double into the right-field corner in the eighth, stretching the lead to 9-1. Right fielder Aristides Aquino followed with an RBI single.

South Bend and Dayton meet in game two of the three-game series Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET at Four Winds Field. Cubs right-hander Jake Stinnett (4.32 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Dragons lefty Ty Boyles (6.55 ERA).