Cougars let another lead slip away

BURLINGTON, Iowa — For the third game in a row, the Kane County Cougars scored first and early against the Burlington Bees — and for the third game in a row, that lead vanished. The Bees earned a 6-2 win at Community Field to sweep the three-game series. The Cougars have lost seven of their last eight games and 12 of their last 17.

In the third inning, the Cougars’ Yowill Espinal singled, stole second, took third on a grounder and scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead. In the sixth, Jake Kuebler delivered a two-out RBI single to score Angel Franco for a 2-0 edge.

Cougars starter Leondy Perez (1-7) threw 5 shutout innings and retired 10 in a row at one point, but he gave up 4 runs — 2 earned — in the sixth.