Duplantier helps Cougars get back on winning track
BURLINGTON, Iowa. - Snapping a three-game losing streak, the Kane County Cougars (25-19) are back on the winning track with a 3-0 victory against the host Burlington Bees (16-26) Wednesday night at Community Field. The Cougars were backed by another tremendous outing from Jon Duplantier (5-0). The Diamondbacks' third round selection from 2016 logged another quality outing on six innings, three hits, no runs, on two strikeouts with no walks.
Now with a 0.56 ERA, Duplantier leads all affiliated professional pitchers in the category who have tossed 40 or more innings. Duplantier also have an active scoreless innings streak of 20.0, spanning three starts, a season high for a Cougars pitcher this season.
With Duplantier strutting his stuff on the mound, he gained some help from his defense in the first inning. After Jack Kruger and Brennon Lund singled, a wild pitch sent both into scoring position with just one out. Duplantier then got an infield fly out, before a run-scoring stop up the middle from second baseman Luis Basabe. Basabe's play may have saved the game for the Cougars.
After three scoreless innings, the Cougars rallied for a run in the fourth. Fernery Ozuna led off the inning with a single, Anfernee Grier reached on an error, and Marcus Wilson walked to load the bases. The Cougars then received a sacrifice fly RBI from designated hitter, Manny Jefferson.
It wasn't until the ninth inning that the Cougars added more runs against southpaw Ronnie Glenn (0-0). After Marcus Wilson reached on a base hit, he came around on a wild play. On a pickoff attempt gone awry, Wilson circled the bases to score as the ball trickled into the Cougars bullpen area. And with two outs in the ninth, Alexis Olmeda came up with an RBI base hit up the middle as the Cougars took a 3-0 lead. In the insurance filled ninth, the Cougars scored two runs on four hits.
In the ninth, right-handed closer Tommy Eveld notched his team-leading ninth save of the season in as many tries. Game four of the series begins at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday night. The starting pitcher for the Cougars is right-hander Emilio Vargas (1-1, 3.55 ERA) as Burlington starts right-hander Travis Herrin (1-3, 3.63 ERA).