Cougars win rain-shortened game in Beloit
BELOIT, Wis. - Winning their fourth straight game, the Kane County Cougars (16-24, 49-61) rolled past the Beloit Snappers (16-24, 48-61) Thursday in a rain-shortened 6-1 contest. Barely playing past the mean streak of rain, the Cougars pounded out 10 hits including a 2-run homer from Gerard Hernandez. On the mound, Emilio Vargas (3-5) garnered the victory spinning 5 innings on 1 run with 10 strikeouts.
To start of string of 2-run innings, the Cougars scored first in the third on a Stryker Trahan base hit. Another run scored on a ground ball off the bat of Trevor Mitsui. Leading 2-0, the Cougars tacked on two more scores in the fourth. After Sergio Alcantara walked and Matt Railey singled, Luis Basabe came to the plate. Railey stole second, and with two men in scoring position, Basabe walloped a double to plate the pair and give the Cougars a 4-0 lead.
Taking right-hander Brendan Butler (1-2) to his limits, the Cougars rapped 10 hits through his 5-inning start. The Snappers hurler allowed two more tallies to the Cougars in the fifth stanza. With Joey Armstrong aboard, Gerard Hernandez socked his third home run of 2016 to pad the Cougars lead six.
Meanwhile, right-hander Vargas dialed up an impressive start. Vargas allowed just 1 run in the fifth inning on a Jesus Lopez double RBI. That was a rare moment of success for the Snappers offensively. Vargas established a career high with 10 strikeouts and only gave up two hits with one free pass.
With the win, Vargas makes it back-to-back victories. Butler suffers the loss, as the Cougars start their road trip in Wisconsin, 2-0.