Kane County Cougars rack up 13 runs on Wisconsin

Home wins have become a regular thing for the Kane County Cougars (13-2, 49-34) as they won their 13th consecutive game at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark, beating the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (5-10, 28-57) by a score of 13-2 Thursday evening.

The offense picked up right where they left off on Wednesday as Marty Herum quickly erased a 2-0 deficit in the first inning with a two-run double. Two batters later, Henry Castillo lifted his first home run of the year with a two-run shot over the right field wall.

The Cougars duplicated a four-run effort in the second and Castillo drove in another pair with an inning-ending double in which he was thrown out at third.

Eight runs of support were plenty for new Cougars starter Chris Oliver (1-0). The right-hander, that was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies organization, made his Midwest League debut with a quality start. Oliver tossed six innings of one-earned-run baseball with five strikeouts and seven stranded Timber Rattlers.

Despite the strong pitching performance, the Cougars' bats did not let up. The offense forced out Wisconsin's starter Angel Ventura (3-3) in the fifth inning as they grabbed another run for a 9-2 lead.

In the team's second straight double-digit runn evening, Herum and Castillo each had four-RBI performances. The Cougars finished one-hit shy of the season high. Castillo and Joe Munoz were each one specific hit away from cycles.

Jose Martinez tossed two scoreless innings of relief before Myles Smith recorded a perfect ninth in his Cougar debut.

The Cougars continue their home stand welcoming in the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Ethan Elias (8-3, 2.61) takes the mound against the Kernels' Zach Tillery (5-3, 2.31). First pitch from Fifth Third Bank Ballpark is at 6:30 p.m.