More solid pitching gives Cougars win over Clinton

Behind another solid pitching effort and 2-out offense on Father's Day, the Kane County Cougars (33-37) took the 5-game series from the playoff-bound Clinton LumberKings (39-31) by a 6-1 score.

After Clinton strode to an early 1-0 advantage, the Cougars responded with 2 runs in the third inning. Raymel Flores pounded one of his two hits to right field to sparkplug the offense. The two Midwest League All-Stars, Zach Nehrir and Trevor Mitsui, added the RBI for the Cougars who took a 2-1 lead and never looked back.

The score stayed that way as Cougars' starting pitcher Carlos Hernandez (4-5) got in his groove until the sixth frame. That was when the Cougars applied a 3-run blow to a laboring Clinton bullpen.

All of the runs came with 2 outs against Medina and Kyle Wilcox (1-4). After striking out with the bases loaded in his prior at-bat, Galli Cribbs' line drive base hit scored two. The next batter Nehrir stroked his second RBI as the Cougars swelled their lead to four.

In the seventh, another run of insurance was cashed in on Frank Christy's third hit of the day scoring the sixth run.

When it was all said and done, the Cougars Hernandez exited after five frames on 5 hits with 1 run allowed, it was not earned. He struck out 5 with 3 walks. The relief core was just as impressive for the Cougars as Ryan Burr (1-2), Keegan Long (0-1), and Drew Muren (0-2) capped off the game with four scoreless innings.

The LumberKings could not capitalize on 8 hits, stranding 11 runners in a losing effort.

Hernandez earned the much needed win for the Cougars snapping the team's two-game losing skid. The loss went to Clinton's right-hander Jeffeson Medina (0-3) as the first half comes to an end.