The West Michigan Whitecaps snapped a five-game losing streak Tuesday night at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, defeating the South Bend Cubs 6-4 in a game that kept the slumping Tigers affiliate from falling further behind in the Midwest League standings.

A pitching breakout anchors the win

Hayden Minton delivered the best start of his season for West Michigan. He threw five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, giving the Whitecaps the foundation they needed after being swept in six games by the Great Lakes Loons the previous week.

Minton was rewarded early. In the second inning, Cristian Santana doubled in Jackson Strong to put West Michigan ahead 1-0.

In the third, Samuel Gil singled in Clayton Campbell, extending the lead to 2-0.

The Whitecaps build a cushion in the sixth

West Michigan starter Thomas Bruss allowed a run in the top of the sixth, cutting the deficit for South Bend. But the Whitecaps answered immediately in the bottom of the inning.

Junior Tilien walked and was moved to third on a double by Andrew Sojka. Ricardo Hurtado singled in Tilien to make it 3-1.

Then Garrett Pennington hit a two-run home run, pushing the score to 6-1.

South Bend rallies, but falls short

The South Bend Cubs mounted a comeback attempt in the seventh inning. Kane Kepley hit a three-run homer, his second of the season, to cut the deficit to 6-4.

South Bend shortstop Ty Southisene went 3-for-5 with a stolen base. Southisene is hitting .373 over 13 games in the Midwest League, according to Cubs Minor League Wrap coverage from Bleed Cubbie Blue.

But West Michigan manager Rene Rivera turned to his bullpen to protect the lead. Donye Evans and Ryan Harvey combined to shut down the Cubs over the final two frames, ending a stretch in which the Whitecaps had gone 1-19 in their previous 20 games.

What it means for the standings

The loss dropped South Bend out of first place in the Midwest League. The Cubs were a half-game ahead of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers before Tuesday's game. Wisconsin defeated the Great Lakes Loons on the same day, and the Cedar Rapids Kernels beat the Peoria Chiefs, leaving South Bend tied with Cedar Rapids for second place, half a game back of Wisconsin, according to OurSports Central.

The Whitecaps and Cubs are scheduled to play again Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET at LMCU Ballpark. The game will be peanut-free, according to Detroit Tigers farm system coverage from Bless You Boys.

"After three weeks of watching early leads slip away, Whitecaps' manager Rene Rivera had to sweat this one through the late innings," reported Bless You Boys. "But Donye Evans and Ryan Harvey were able to lock down the final two frames to end a 1-19 stretch over the last 20 games."