Cougars rally past Cleburne

The Kane County Cougars stretched their season-best winning streak to six games Tuesday night at Northwestern Medicine Field, rallying past the Cleburne Railroaders for a 6-5 victory behind another quality outing from Konnor Ash and a milestone night from Josh Allen.

Ash struck out four over five innings to earn his fifth consecutive victory, while Allen recorded the 1,000th hit of his professional career as the Cougars opened the three-game series with a win.

Kane County (37-31) struck first in the second inning. Nick Dalesandro extended his hitting streak to eight games with a single before Jairus Richards reached on a walk. A throwing error following Zane Spinn's hard-hit line drive allowed both runners to score, giving the Cougars a 2-0 advantage.

Cleburne (35-35) chipped away with a run in the fourth before taking its first lead in the fifth. Cody Thomas delivered a two-run single, and a wild pitch later in the inning pushed the Railroaders in front 4-2.

The Cougars answered immediately in the bottom half. Armond Upshaw singled and stole second before Todd Lott lined an RBI single to center with two outs. After Charles Mack doubled into the gap, Richards came through with a two-out, two-run single to right, putting Kane County back in front 5-4.

The insurance run came in the sixth after Spinn drew a walk and Upshaw singled to put runners on the corners. Allen reached on an infield single that scored Spinn to give the Cougars a 6-4 lead.

The Railroaders pulled within one in the seventh on an RBI single from Caleb McNeely, but the Kane County bullpen slammed the door. Zach Veen, Jordan Martinson, Logan Nissen, and Art Warren combined for four innings of relief before Jake Gozzo struck out two in a perfect ninth to record his American Association-leading 15th save.

Konnor Ash (8-5) earned the win, while Luke Short (3-7) took the loss after allowing five runs over five-plus innings.