Hernandez slugs walk-off home run to lift Cougars in extras
On the backs of a walk-off, 3-run home run by Ramon Hernandez, the Kane County Cougars picked up an 8-5 win in 10 innings against the visiting Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. It was the Cougars first walk-off win since April 19th by Jason Morozowski. After five and a half innings, the Cougars trailed 4-0 Saturday, but erased the deficit in the triumphant effort.
This contest was divided into two parts, with the Cougars struggling out of the gate at the contest's outset. Wisconsin scored 4 unanswered runs in the first 3 innings against righty Connor Grey. In the first, rehabbing big leaguer Stephen Vogt socked an RBI double to the left-center gap as Ronnie Gideon followed with a run-scoring hit. In the third, Keston Hiura was at the helm of the offense with an RBI single, and Gideon followed with a sac-fly RBI.
With a commanding 4-0 lead, the Cougars came back against right-handed starter Thomas Jankins in the sixth and seventh innings. With 2 outs in the sixth, Hernandez guided a single through the right side to cut the deficit in half.
After Wisconsin posted one in the seventh, Cougars lashed out for a 3-run seventh to tie the game, 5-5. In a turn of events, the Cougars got on the board in the frame with a single to right field from Alexis Olemda scoring one. The next man up, Adam Walton ripped an RBI double and later scored on a wild pitch.
In a tie game, the game went to extras. That's when the Cougars did the game-ending damage. With two on and no outs in the bottom of the 10th, Hernandez slugged a walk-off 3-run home run, a mammoth shot to deep left field. Hernandez becomes the first Cougar in over two years to hit a walk-off home run. Ildemaro Vargas was the last to hit a walk-off homer on July 12, 2015.
With the win on a scoreless inning of relief, right-hander Trevor Simms picked up the victory. The loss went to righty Miguel Sanchez.