SOUTH BEND 10, DRAGONS 4
April 23, 2026
Click here for the box score
South Bend (R-H-E): 10-11-0; Dayton (R-H-E): 4-6-0
Win: Nate Williams (1-0); Loss: Graham Osman (0-1); Save: None
HR: Dayton: Alfredo Alcantara (1st, 2 on base in 4th inning). HR: South Bend: Kade Snell (1st, 0 on base in 9th inning).
Dayton, Ohio—South Bend’s Matt Halbach collected three doubles and drove in two runs to lead the Cubs to a 10-4 victory over the Dayton Dragons on Thursday night. South Bend has won two of the first three matchups in the six-game series with Dayton.
A crowd of 8,699 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.
Game Recap:
South Bend broke the scoreless tie with a trio of runs in the top of the third inning. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Dragons starter Luke Hayden tossed a wild pitch that scored Justin Stransky. Hayden left the game following the wild pitch after a visit to the mound by the Dragons’ athletic trainer. Reliever Graham Osman replaced Hayden before two more runs came across in the inning on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly respectively to make it 3-0 South Bend. Hayden worked two innings allowing three runs on no hits with four walks and two strikeouts.
The Dragons evened the game on an Alfredo Alcantara three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth. Johnny Ascanio doubled and Esmith Pineda singled off South Bend starter Cole Reynolds to reach base. Reliever Nate Williams entered the game to face Alcantara, who blasted his first career High-A home run over the left field wall.
South Bend promptly re-took the lead and held it for good with four runs in the top of the fifth to gain a 7-3 advantage. With two men on base and one out, Matt Halbach sent a two-run double down the right field line off Osman. The next hitter, Cameron Sisneros, followed with a double that scored Halbach and extended the Cub lead to three. After a Reggie Preciado single to right field, Drew Bowser cranked a line drive base hit to center field scoring Sisneros from third to make it 7-3.
The Dragons added a run on a Pineda RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. The hit scored Ascanio who reached on a leadoff walk and moved to third on an Anthony Stephan single.
South Bend chipped in two more runs during the seventh inning off Dayton reliever Dylan Simmons. Sisneros smacked an RBI single to right field that scored Halbach. Two batters later, Bowser grounded out to third base on a play that brought home Sisneros.
Kade Snell crushed a solo home run over the right field wall in the top of the ninth off Simmons to close the scoring and make it 10-4 South Bend.
Dayton finished the night with six hits. Pineda had two hits including a run batted in and run scored. Ascanio reached base in all four plate appearances with a double and three walks.
Up Next: The Dragons (8-9) host the Cubs (10-5) again on Friday night at 7:05 pm at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District in the second game of a six-game series. Cole Schoenwetter (1-0, 4.66) will start for Dayton against South Bend’s Koen Moreno (0-1, 8.31). For ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.
On the Air: All Dragons home and road games are broadcast on radio on FOX Sports 980 AM WONE. Games can be heard on smart phones, iPads, and other mobile devices via the free Dragons Mobile App, or on a computer at wone.com. Games are also available on HD Radio on 104.7 WTUI HD 2.