Cougars drop a slugfest to Lake Country

The Kane County Cougars fell 16-14 to the Lake Country DockHounds (50-37) on Sunday, dropping the series finale after a slugfest.

The Cougars (46-39) jumped out to a 6-0 lead against Trey Riley (4-4) behind a two-run homer from Nick Dalesandro, his first of the season, and a grand slam from Jairus Richards, his second home run in as many games. Kane County held the lead through four innings before the DockHounds began their comeback.

Lake Country (50-37) scored six unanswered runs across the fifth and sixth innings, eventually taking an 8-6 lead. The DockHounds then continued their offensive surge, scoring three runs in the seventh and five in the eighth inning to build a 16-9 advantage.

The Cougars responded with their own offensive explosion in the eighth. Matt Bottcher, Charles Mack and Sam Dexter all delivered RBI hits, with Mack's two-run double bringing Kane County within four. Dexter's RBI single and a subsequent groundout brought the Cougars within 16-14, but they couldn't complete the comeback.

Konnor Ash (8-6) took the loss after allowing six runs over 5⅓ innings while striking out six. Trey Riley (4-4) earned the win, while Alan Carter closed out the ninth for the save.

The DockHounds scored at least three runs in four consecutive innings to secure the series victory.