By Mike Monaco

SOUTH BEND — For the final time in 2015, South Bend took the field before a packed house at Four Winds Field. And the Cubs closed out the home slate in style with a 5-3 win over Dayton in the rubber game Friday night.

“It’s great to give the city of South Bend a win for them at the end of the season,” South Bend starting pitcher Zach Hedges said. “They’ve been fantastic for us in our first year here. Just would love to give them that win. It was really awesome to give that.”

The Cubs (35-32 second half, 64-70 overall) grabbed a one-run lead in the third and tacked on two more insurance runs in the seventh to claim the series over the Dragons (31-35 second half, 70-66 overall). South Bend won before another sell-out crowd of 6,898.

“It’s awesome coming out here knowing that you have fans that are coming to the game that actually root for you to win, not just to go because it’s a baseball game and they like it,” Hedges said.

Hedges tossed five innings of one-run ball and only allowed three hits and one walk, while fanning three.

“Just pounding with the fastball, getting the sliders down in the zone,” Hedges said of his strategy.

Right-handed reliever Dillon Maples allowed just one base runner over two scoreless innings.

South Bend second baseman Angelo Amendolare (2-for-4, two runs) and catcher Jordan Hankins (2-for-3, three RBI) each recorded multi-hit nights.

With two outs in the top of the second, Dayton catcher Garrett Boulware hammered a two-strike RBI double toward left-center field to score first baseman Paul Kronenfeld and hand the Dragons a 1-0 lead.

In the home third, the Cubs loaded the bases, and catcher Jordan Hankins tied the game with an RBI infield single. Then first baseman David Bote plated Amendolare with a fielder’s choice.

South Bend filled the bases again in the seventh, and right fielder Ian Happ skied a sacrifice fly to right field to bring in left fielder Daniel Spingola, who debuted as a defensive substitute in the top of the seventh, and give the Cubs a 3-1 lead. Another Dayton error and a base knock by Hankins stretched the lead to 5-1.

Boulware cracked an RBI double with two outs in the ninth to trim the margin to three. Designated hitter Jon Matthews then slapped a run-scoring double to right to cut the deficit to two, 5-3.

South Bend visits Lake County to start a three-game series Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio. Cubs right-hander Erick Leal (4.04 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Captains righty Casey Shane (6.23 ERA).