Cougars drop season opener to LumberKings

CLINTON, Iowa - Jasrado Chisholm collected two hits and drove in two runs, but the Kane County Cougars dropped the season opener, 7-2, to the Clinton LumberKings on Saturday night at Ashford University Field.

The Cougars (0-1) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI double by Chisholm. Clinton (1-0) tied the game in the second inning when Greifer Andrade singled in a run. In the third, Clinton went back-to-back when Ariel Sandoval hit a two-run homer, followed by Jack Larsen's solo shot, to make it 4-1 LumberKings. Clinton never trailed from that point on.

Mack Lemieux (0-1) lasted 3.2 innings in his 2018 debut, allowing four runs on seven hits, striking out five and walking three. Lemieux tossed a scoreless first inning before allowing a run in the second and three in the third. The Cougars called on right-hander Matt Peacock out of relief. Peacock hurled 1.1 innings of scoreless ball without allowing a hit in his Cougars debut. Clinton scored an unearned run in the sixth and added two more off Jake Winston in the seventh. Anfernee Benitez posted a scoreless eighth out of the Kane County bullpen.

Clinton starting pitcher Nick Wells (1-0) held the Cougars to two runs on two hits, while striking out six and walking three over five innings.

Chisholm's second hit of the night came in the fifth when he singled to center field to score Stephen Smith who reached on a leadoff walk. That cut the Clinton lead to 4-2.

In the bottom of the sixth, Greifer Andrade led off the inning by reaching on an error and scored on a Billy Cooke ground out, extending Clinton's lead to 5-2. In the seventh, Sandoval hit a two-run homer, his second long ball of the night, making it 7-2 LumberKings.

Clinton right-hander Clay Chandler tossed three scoreless innings of relief, allowing two hits and striking out six batters. Austin Hutchison recorded the final three outs for the LumberKings.