By Mike Monaco

SOUTH BEND — Erick Leal dealt six strong innings, Cael Brockmeyer powered the offense and the bullpen shut it down, as South Bend busted a four-game losing skid with a 3-2 win over West Michigan on Saturday night in the middle matchup of the three-game set in front of 7,183 fans at Four Winds Field.

Leal allowed just two runs over six frames, and the Cubs (28-38) scored two runs in the second and one in the third. South Bend had lost nine of its last 10 games entering Saturday.

“We’ve lost some games. That’s pretty evident,” South Bend manager Jimmy Gonzalez said. “To come out and get a one-run win was huge.

“[The message has been] don’t panic. As bad as it is to lose games, don’t panic. Keep with your approach.”

Leal did not allow a hit over a 10-batter stretch from the second inning through the fifth. West Michigan (33-35) collected bunt singles in the first and second and a third infield single in the second stanza.

Brockmeyer (2-for-4, one run) and South Bend second baseman Andrew Ely (2-for-3, one run) spearheaded the offense.

Cubs reliever Brad Markey dealt two shutout inning in relief of Leal. Over his last six outings, the former Virginia Tech standout has only allowed two earned runs in 13 innings.

“I thought I was locating very well, keeping the hitters off balance,” Markey said. “We went over the hitting report. I had in the back of my mind what each hitter could and could not hit. And I tried to play to my strengths, and that’s what really helped me out there.”

South Bend All-Star James Farris picked up the save in the ninth.

Brockmeyer led off the bottom of the second with a single and advanced to third on a single by Ely. In his South Bend debut, Cubs catcher Erick Castillo reeled in Brockmeyer and gave South Bend a 1-0 lead with an RBI groundout. Third baseman Jesse Hodges then drove in Ely with an RBI double through the right-center field gap.

Brockmeyer skied a sacrifice fly in the third to lift the Cubs to a 3-0 advantage.

“The guys being able to execute in that situation … was huge,” Gonzalez said.

Cubs right fielder Jeffrey Baez made a diving catch to his right in the fourth inning. Baez then rose to his feet and doubled off Whitecaps second baseman Joey Pankake, who was hustling back to first.

The Whitecaps finally got to Leal in the top of the sixth inning, when No. 3 hitter Ross Kivett launched a two-run home run to left field to trim the deficit to 3-2.

Markey and Farris buttoned up the victory — South Bend’s first home victory since June 6.

“Eventually, we’ll get out of it,” Gonzalez said. “Just like there’s losing streaks, we can definitely get on a winning streak. I know that we have the team to do that.”

The Cubs have now cracked 7,000 in attendance nine times this season.

South Bend and West Michigan close out the series and the first-half of the season Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET at Four Winds Field. Cubs left-hander Tommy Thorpe (5.04 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Whitecaps righty Jeff Thompson (5.51 ERA).