By MIKE MONACO
FORT WAYNE – One major inning proved too much to overcome for South Bend despite a late rally, as Fort Wayne plated seven in the third and held on for a 10-7 win in the series opener Wednesday night at Parkview Field.

The TinCaps (1-3) scored one in the first, one in the second and seven in the third, chasing South Bend starter Jake Stinnett and building enough of a cushion to hand the Cubs (3-4) their third consecutive  loss despite a late surge highlighted by four runs in the seventh. South Bend outscored Fort Wayne, 7-1, after the third inning.

Fort Wayne starter Ernesto Montas, who pitched the last two seasons in the DSL, turned in a strong outing in his U.S. debut. The wiry righty logged five innings of one-run ball without a free pass.

Cubs right-handed reliever Jasvir Rakkar slowed the bleeding and surrendered two runs (one earned) in 3.2 innings, punching out four.

South Bend cleanup hitter Cael Brockmeyer grooved an RBI double down the left-field line in the sixth inning. Brockmeyer now has nine hits in seven games. The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder, who began the night with a league-best .833 slugging percentage, has notched six doubles and a home run.

The Cubs threatened early against Fort Wayne starter Ernesto Montas. Catcher Gioskar Amaya and Brockmeyer knocked back-to-back two-out singles in the first frame, but right fielder Jeffrey Baez grounded to third, as Montas escaped.

For the first time this season, South Bend’s opponent struck first. TinCaps cleanup hitter Franmil Reyes ripped a single to center field, plating Franchy Cordero in the bottom of the first. The TinCaps nabbed  another in the second when Fort Wayne third baseman Duanel Jones raced in from third on a wild pitch that bounded away from Amaya at home plate, making it 2-0.

Fort Wayne opened the floodgates in the third, scoring seven runs on four hits, one South Bend error and three Cubs walks to vault ahead 9-0. Catcher Jose Ruiz smacked a two-run single to center field and Cordero clubbed a two-run double to left center. Stinnett allowed eight runs (five earned) in 2.1 innings, allowing three hits, walking seven and fanning two.

The Cubs cracked the run column in the top of the fifth when leadoff hitter Trey Martin roped an RBI single to left field to score Jesse Hodges, cutting the deficit to 9-1.

Brockmeyer’s RBI two-bagger pulled South Bend within seven, 9-2, but Fort Wayne bounced right back with a run on Jones’ sacrifice fly in the sixth. After Martin led off the top of the seventh with a double to left-center field, the speedster came in to score after Fort Wayne reliever T.J. Weir fired a wild pitch, bringing the score to 10-3. The TinCaps then called on lefty Payton Baskette to replace Weir, and the southpaw promptly threw his own wild pitch, which allowed Brockmeyer to score from third. Cubs second baseman Chesny Young then ripped an RBI single to center to score Baez and cut the margin to 10-5, and Jason Vosler’s RBI base knock made it 10-6.

South Bend infielder David Bote pitched two scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth, making just his second professional pitching appearance and his first since 2013 with Kane County.

Gleyber Torres reeled in Charcer Burks with an RBI groundout in the eighth inning, pulling South Bend within three, 10-7.

South Bend and Fort Wayne return to Parkview Field on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET for game two of three. Cubs right-hander Jeremy Null is set to oppose TinCaps lefty Taylor Cox.