Kane County Cougars keep postseason streak alive with narrow win at Milwaukee

In the first game of the Miles Wolff Cup Playoffs against the Milwaukee Milkmen, the Kane County Cougars picked up their eighth straight postseason win dating back to last season behind strong pitching in a 2-1 victory Wednesday night at Franklin Field.

It started as a pitchers’ duel between the Cougars ace Konnor Ash and Milkmen lefty Juan Diaz. The two went at it through the first three innings, keeping the bats at bay, and the score level at 0-0.

That changed in the bottom of the fourth with one swing off the bat from Andy Blake. He led off the inning with a big blast over the right-field wall, trotted around the bases and gave the Milkmen a 1-0 lead.

Diaz went back out to the mound in the top of fifth inning with the lead. But that changed with Cougars leadoff man Claudio Finol, who smashed a ball into left field and over the wall to tie the game 1-1. Later in the inning, Zane Spinn was taking a lead off first base when a pickoff attempt went to the wall, and Spinn flew around second and into third.

Josh Allen then poked a single through the middle of the infield and into center, scoring Spinn and giving the Cougars a 2-1 lead.