Cougars within one win of division championship

In their third consecutive comeback victory, the Kane County Cougars (45-20, 81-52) took the series opener from the Quad Cities River Bandits (40-25, 85-48) Wednesday evening by a score of 8-6. A loss by the Peoria Chiefs after the Cougars' victory dropped the magic number for the Second Half Western Division Championship to one game.

The top of the eighth inning is when the Cougars did most of their damage and turned the tide. With the score tied at four, Dawel Lugo started off the frame with a single before Stryker Trahan blasted a double off the right-center field wall to put two runners in scoring position. After Quad Cities pulled Lachlen Madden (0-1), Zach Davis took the mound. With the infield in, Victor Reyes bounced a high chopper over the River Bandits' third baseman bringing home both runs. Reyes ended up at third base on the play thanks to a throwing error. Ildemaro Vargas took advantage of that error with a sacrifice fly to deep center. A batter later, Colin Bray kept the inning alive with a two-out walk and eventually score on another throwing error by Quad Cities.

The Cougars used those extra insurance runs as the River Bandits scratched across a run in the eighth and the ninth. Luis Ramirez (10) picked up the save as he struck out Ramon Laureano stranding a runner at second base.

In the first two innings, the Cougars had two different leads as Colin Bray came home after doubling in the first and Reyes singled home Lugo in the second.

After the 1-0 and 2-1 leads by the Cougars were erased, Quad Cities grabbed its first advantage with two runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Bray scored again in the fifth inning on a balk and Cody Regis tied up the game in the seventh with a double to plate Bray.

In his Midwest League debut, Scott Schultz (1-0) earned the victory as he tossed a scoreless seventh and struck out two batters in the eighth.

The Cougars and River Bandits continue their series on Thursday. Ethan Elias (11-5, 2.93) will take the mound for the Cougars against Quad Cities' Joshua James (6-4, 2.69). First pitch from Modern Woodmen Park is scheduled for 7 p.m.