By Mike Monaco

LANSING, Mich. – South Bend’s singles snowballed to start the fourth and eventually accumulated into a seven-run, eight-hit inning, as the Cubs toppled Lansing, 10-6, on Thursday at Cooley Law School Stadium to even up the three-game series at one game apiece.

The Cubs (11-10 second half, 40-48 overall) grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second, exploded for seven runs in the fourth and hardly looked back against the Lugnuts (10-11 second half, 52-39 overall) behind an 18-hit effort.

Each South Bend starter tallied at least one hit, and second baseman David Bote (3-for-5, one home run, three RBI, two runs), shortstop Gleyber Torres (3-for-5, three singles) and left fielder Yasiel Balaguert (4-for-5, three runs, one home run) led the way. Bote recorded his second three-hit game of the campaign, while Balaguert notched his second four-hit performance of 2015.

Right fielder Jeffrey Baez, third baseman Jason Vosler, first baseman Gioskar Amaya and center fielder Rashad Crawford each added at least one RBI.

South Bend starter Jake Stinnett logged five innings of one-run ball in which he surrendered five hits, four walks and punched out one. Cubs righty Alex Santana added two hitless innings and struck out the side in the seventh.

The Cubs began the night three games back of the Eastern Division-leading Fort Wayne TinCaps.

Balaguert started the top of the second inning by clubbing a line drive, solo home run to left field. Bote followed suit three batters later by mashing a solo shot to the opposite field and making it 2-0.

South Bend strung together four consecutive singles to start the fourth, with Bote adding a bases-loaded, two-run single to stretch the margin to 4-0. South Bend’s sixth consecutive hit in the frame came when Crawford yanked a two-run double into the right-field corner to extend it to 6-0. Baez made it seven straight base hits with his two-run knock to make it 8-0. The ninth batter of the inning, Vosler, rapped an RBI double to score Baez. In total, the Cubs set a season high for hits in an inning (eight). The seven runs are tied for the most in a single stanza in 2015.

Lansing leadoff man Chris Carlson supplied an RBI single in the fifth to get the Lugnuts on the board, 9-1.

Amaya struck an RBI groundout to plate Balaguert and make it 10-1 in the seventh.

Lansing designated hitter clocked a three-run home run in the eighth off of Cubs reliever Sam Wilson to pull the Lugnuts within six, 10-4.

Lansing tacked on two more in the ninth on a two-out hit by shortstop Dawel Lugo.

South Bend and Lansing conclude their three-game series Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET at Cooley Law School Stadium in Lansing, Michigan. Cubs right-hander Michael Wagner (2.33 ERA) will oppose Lugnuts righty Starlyn Suriel (3.51 ERA).