By Mike Monaco

SOUTH BEND  — South Bend starting pitcher Ryan Williams dazzled with eighth shutout innings and powered the Cubs to a 3-2 win over Bowling Green on Friday night at Four Winds Field in front of 7,786 fans, a new single-game franchise record.

Williams lowered his Midwest League-leading ERA to 0.59 and helped South Bend snap its five-game losing streak that capped a seven-game road trip.

“It feels great,” Williams said. “Being able to come back off of that tough road trip and get the first win back on home ground was definitely huge for this team.”

Williams allowed just one base-runner through six innings before a two-out infield single in the seventh. The sinkerballer induced 16 groundouts, including seven that he handled on his own and eight in a row from the end of the fifth inning and into the eighth. The right-hander has allowed zero unearned runs in six of his eight outings this season.

“Gosh, he’s done the same thing all year, no matter what,” South Bend manager Jimmy Gonzalez said. “It’s fun to watch. It’s fun to see him do that, just use all his pitches for strikes. It’s great to see.”

In 45.2 innings this season, Williams has walked two batters and allowed three earned runs.

“My job is just to throw strikes down in the zone,” Williams said. “Wherever the ball gets hit, I trust my defense to make a play behind me.”

Cubs designated hitter Cael Brockmeyer began the bottom of the second with a double off the top of the right-center field wall, narrowly missing his second home run in as many games. Right fielder Yasiel Balaguert drove him in and lifted South Bend ahead 1-0 with a single to right field. With Balaguert at second four batters later, center fielder Jeffrey Baez knocked a two-out RBI single through the left side to make it 2-0. The lead was South Bend’s first since Saturday’s 10-4 win over Great Lakes. The Cubs went 45 innings without leading an opponent.

“That was huge to get them early, that way we weren’t trying to force anything late and do too much for any individual,” Williams said.

With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Cubs catcher Justin Marra swatted his team-leading fourth home run of the season to deep right field and widened the gap to 3-0.

With Williams’ pitch count climbing, South Bend turned to reliever Brad Markey for the ninth.

“I wanted to [finish the game], but right now we’re on a pitch count so there’s not much I could really fight for right there,” Williams said. “I was just happy to be able to go out there and throw well.”

Bowling Green nabbed its first run in the ninth on an RBI single by center fielder Thomas Milone. Milone later scored on an RBI base knock to center by cleanup man Casey Gillaspie. With the tying run at third base and one out, Markey fanned Hot Rods right fielder Justin Williams.

Cubs righty James Farris then came on for the final out and earned his fifth save of the season.

Cubs leadoff hitter Charcer Burks extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a first-inning single on an 0-2 pitch.

The attendance record broke the previous mark of 7,575 set April 18.

South Bend and Bowling Green meet for the second of four games Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET at Four Winds Field. Hot Rods right-hander Brent Honeywell (3-2, 1.66 ERA) will get the ball. South Bend’s starter is TBA.