Woman wins $10K at Cougars game
Kristin Lake, a Cougars fan from suburban Plainfield, has been announced as the winner of the Grand Slam Inning, presented by the Daily Herald newspaper.
Lake held the lucky seat number of Section 104, Row L, Seat 5 for last night's Cougars vs. Cedar Rapids Kernels game. For each Cougars regular season home game in 2008, the Cougars offered one lucky seat holder a prize of $10,000 if the fourth Cougars batter in the sixth inning hit a grand slam. Another $10,000 would be donated to Ozzie's Outreach, the Cougars' charitable initiative that contributes to a variety of causes throughout the year.
At the Aug. 14 game, Cougars first baseman Greg Dowling strode to the plate as the fourth batter in the sixth inning against the Kernels. Teammates Todd Johnson, Jake Smith and Justin Frash had each reached base to open the frame and load the bases for the Cougars slugger. Dowling, who had hit the first minor league home run in Wrigley Field history during last month's historic game against the Peoria Chiefs, connected on a pitch with the sacks full to send 7,330 fans into a fever with the anticipation of winning $10,000. The game was halted temporarily as Cougars P.A. announcer Kevin Sullivan read the winning seat number - first by section, then row, and finally seat. Lake, who was not present at the time the winning number was read, was told by a co-worker Friday morning to check her ticket stub. After realizing she held the lucky ticket stub in her daughter's stroller, a rush of emotions was felt.
"I started shaking because I never win anything," said Lake, who attended the game with husband Tony and daughters Madison and Megan. "I was nervous because I had the ticket but am still in shock!"
Lake was part of the Infogix, Inc. company outing. The company, based out of Naperville, has attended Cougars games in past years as part of their group outing and pre-game picnic at Elfstrom Stadium.
When asked what she enjoys most about a Cougars game, Lake said she appreciates the family atmosphere and the various entertainment that appeals to young and old Cougars fans alike.
The fun didn't end after the sixth inning. Later in the game, the Cougars staged a two-out, walk-off ninth inning rally to send the fans into another frenzy. The evening closed with a postgame fireworks show and an opportunity for all fans to go on the field and run the bases.
"What a tremendous night for our fans!", said Cougars general manager Jeff Sedivy. "We'd like to congratulate the Lake family for being the winning seat holder through our Daily Herald Grand Slam Inning. Last night's fun is yet another example of what our fans have enjoyed for the past 18 seasons as part of the 'Cougars experience'. "
Dowling has certainly had his share of memorable home runs in his Cougars career. On Aug. 10, 2007 at Elfstrom Stadium, Dowling smashed two home runs in the same inning which was the first such occurrence in franchise history. In addition to the aforementioned home run at Wrigley Field last July, Dowling's grand slam last night was his 233rd career hit at Kane County, which breaks another long-standing franchise record. Dowling, a 19th round pick of the A's in 2006, is now the Cougars' career leader in hits, surpassing former Cougar David Callahan (232 hits), who played at Kane County in 1999 and 2000.