SOUTH BEND – West Michigan plated a run in the 10th inning Saturday to upset the South Bend Cubs, 4-3, in the do-or-die game three of the Midwest League playoff series.

The game resumed in the top of the eighth after Friday’s game was postponed due to rain with the score tied at three. West Michigan began the inning with a runner on first but stranded the runner.

South Bend would get a runner on in the bottom of the eighth but end the inning on a double play. Neither team did much in the ninth, sending the clincher to extra innings.

Will Allen led the Whitecaps off with a walk, then was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Jose Azocar then recorded the biggest hit of his season, a seeing-eye single that drove in Allen for the 4-3 lead.

South Bend had PJ Higgins get a two-out base hit in the bottom of the tenth, but Mark Ecker got Matt Rose to fly out to right to seal the upset.

South Bend finished with an Eastern Division-best record of 84-55 in the regular season, 11.5 games ahead of West Michigan. But the Whitecaps stole game one at home Wednesday night in extra innings while the Cubs won Thursday’s game, forcing a deciding game three.

West Michigan will meet Great Lakes in the semi-finals, the winner of that series to take on either Cedar Rapids or Clinton in the Midwest League championship.

South Bend closes up another record-setting year, eclipsing over 350,000 fans for the first time in franchise history as well as hosting the Midwest League Player of the Year in Eloy Jimenez as well as numerous player accolades.