SOUTH BEND – The South Bend Cubs broke the game open with a four-run fourth inning to take a 6-2 lead and went on to beat the Cedar Rapids Kernels 9-4 in front of 6,895 fans Friday at Four Winds Field.

South Bend took the three-game series, 2-1.

The Cubs battered Kernels starter Keaton Steele (2-1) with nine hits and six earned runs over the first four innings. Steele had one walk and one strikeout.

Cedar Rapids (35-20) scored twice in the fourth inning and one run in each of the six and seventh innings, but it was not enough against South Bend (25-29).

Nick Gordon hit 2-for-4 with a double and a run for the Kernels, Edgar Corcino hit 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI, and Brett Doe hit 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Cedar Rapids opens a three-game series at West Michigan starting a 6 p.m. today.

KERNELS (4): English, cf, 5 1 1 0, Gordon, ss, 4 1 2 0, Corcino, rf, 5 1 2 1, Murphy lf, 5 0 0 0, Fernandez, 1b, 3 1 1 0, White, 3b, 3 0 1 1, Doe, dh, 3 0 2 1, Navarreto, c, 4 0 0 0, Kelly, 2b, 2 0 0 0. Totals 34 4 9 3.

SOUTH BEND (9): Bote, 2b, 3 1 1 2, Torres, ss, 5 1 3 1, Encarnacion, dh, 4 0 1 1, Balaguert, lf, 5 0 0 1, Brockmeyer, c, 5 2 2 0, Amaya, 1b, 4 2 1 0, Hodges, 3b, 3 2 2 1, Baez, rf, 4 1 3 2, Crawford, cf, 3 0 0 0. Totals 36 9 13 8.

Kernels        000 201 001 – 4  9 0

South Bend 110 420 01x – 9 13 0

Steele, Velez (5), Hildenberger (7) and Navarreto. Stinnett, Lewis (6), Minch (8) and Brockmeyer. WP – Stinnett (2-2), LP – Steele (2-1). 2B – Gordon (6), Baez (6), Bote (5). SB – White (10), Baez (5). T – 2:57. A – 6,895.