Mitsui's homer propels Cougars to victory

Trevor Mitsui hit an eighth inning home run against Wisconsin's Freddy Peralta (2-1) in the eighth inning as the Kane County Cougars (27-29) wrestled a road victory from the Timber Rattlers (27-30) by a 3-2 final.

Similar to Friday night's low-scoring affair, Sunday's matinee was a pitcher's duel between Wisconsin's right-hander Marcos Diplan (5-1) and the Cougars' left-hander, Alex Young (1-0).

For the third time in as many games this series, the Timber Rattlers scored first. In the home half of the third, David Denson tallied an RBI base hit providing the Timber Rattlers with a 1-0 lead.

The Cougars retort in the fourth frame was a solo blast from Grant Heyman, his second of his Midwest League season. Later in the inning, newcomer Francis Christy tacked on a double, proceeded by a Galli Cribbs hit. With two in scoring position, Diplan balked and the Cougars wound up with their first lead in the series, 2-1.

Wisconsin tied the game in the home half of the fifth inning with a rally started by Luis Aviles. He doubled to lead-off the frame and scored on an Alex Young wild pitch.

In a 2-2 game, Young exited after five innings on four hits, two runs, five strikeouts, and five walks. His runs and walks totals were both season highs. Young's ERA still stands at a sterling 1.88 on the season.

In relief making his Cougars debut, right-hander Cody Clark (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh innings with a pair of strikeouts to keep the game locked at 2-2.

Looking for their first win of the road stand, the Cougars home run power re-emerged in the eighth inning. One of the home run leaders for Hillsboro and Missoula the past two seasons, Trevor Mitsui clubbed his second home run of 2016 to open up a 3-2 Cougars lead.

Gabe Speier (2) landed two zeroes on the scoreboard in as many innings to finish with the save. And Peralta's home run given up to Mitsui led to his first loss. The win in his first appearance of the year went to Cody Clark.