SOUTH BEND – Isaac Paredes and the South Bend Cubs offense certainly showed up to play at Four Winds Field Wednesday morning as they collected 12 hits to beat the Dayton Dragons 7-5 and secure their second series win of the year over the Cincinnati Reds’ Midwest League affiliate.

Unlike the day before, the South Bend Cubs used a double-digit hit tally to beat the Dragons. In eight innings, South Bend picked up five extra base hits (four doubles and a home run) to improve their record to 5-2 against Dayton; a stark contrast to their 2-5 record against West Michigan.

The Cubs scored in the first inning on Paredes’ two-run homer to leftfield to put the Cubs up 2-0. In seven games against Dayton, Paredes has found a way to subdue the Dragons pitchers hitting .392 (11-28) with six RBIs and a homerun. He went 3-4 with three RBIs and his second homer of the year in the final of the three-game series.

Cubs starting pitcher, Manuel Rondon threw 5.0 innings while giving up two earned runs on six hits, two of which were solo home runs.

The long ball has been Rondon’s kryptonite this season as seen when he gave up solo shots in the fourth and fifth innings to Taylor Trammell and Bruce Yari. Rondon now leads the Cubs pitching staff in home runs allowed having given up six homers in six games started this season.

DEFENSIVE MISHAPS: Dayton scored their first run on an error in the second inning when the ball got under the glove of charging outfielder Luis Ayala as he attempt to set himself up for a long throw home. The error-prone South Bend Cubs now have 50 errors in 38 games.

RESILIENT OFFENSE: Ayala made up for the botched play with a single and a run scored in the very next half inning. Kevonte Mitchell and D.J. Wilson both responded with doubles to help add two more runs to the Cubs total for a 4-1 lead over the Dragons.

After Dayton’s fourth and fifth inning homers, the Dragons trailed by one run with a score of 4-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth, but Wladimir Galindo, Alberto Mineo, and Kevonte Mitchell had different plans as they strung together a single sandwiched between two doubles to add another two runs and make it a 6-3 ballgame.

MEKKES TOP ARM IN BULLPEN: Dakota Mekkes, who came in for relief in the top of the sixth inning, threw two scoreless innings while collecting strikeouts on 5-of-6 outs. His 0.87 ERA is the best of all South Bend pitchers this season.