Cougars sweep doubleheader
After their Friday night matchup was postponed, the Kane County Cougars snapped their five-game losing streak to the Quad Cities River Bandits by sweeping a doubleheader Saturday at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark, with a 7-3 victory in Game 1 followed by a 4-3 decision.
Pierce Johnson and Talyer Scott both turned in strong starts for the Cougars. Rock Shoulders led the powerful offensive charge going 5-for-6 with 2 homers, a pair of doubles and 4 RBI in the two games.
Kane County pounded out 11 hits in the opener. Marco Hernandez delivered the game-winning RBI triple in the top of the sixth in Game 2.
In Game 1, Kane County starter Pierce Johnson (1-1) threw 5 innings, allowing just 1 unearned run and 3 hits while walking one and striking out six.
The Cougars started the scoring in the second inning when Rock Shoulders led off with a double. Trey Martin drove him in with his first of 2 sacrifice flies in the game.
In the fourth, Kane County sent 10 hitters to the plate and scored 4 runs to take a 5-0 lead. Gioskar Amaya led off with a triple and scored on an RBI single from Marco Hernandez, who finished the game 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
Jeimer Candelario drove in the second run of the inning with a double as part of a 2-for-4, 2-RBI day. Wes Darvill drove in the third run of the inning with an infield single that knocked River Bandits starter Brian Holmes (1-1) out of the game after 21⁄3 innings and 8 hits allowed.
The Cougars tacked on a run in the fourth and sixth innings before Eddie Orozco entered the game in the seventh. He allowed a 2-run double to Teoscar Hernandez before retiring the next three batters to give the Cougars the 7-3 victory.
In Game 2, Tayler Scott (1-1) started for Kane County and retired the first nine River Bandits he faced. Scott turned in his second quality start against the River Bandits this season by going 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits while walking one and striking out four.
The Cougars were staked to a 1-0 lead after a first-inning Shoulders RBI double. In the top of the fourth, the River Bandits scored a pair of runs to take their first lead of the day. T. Hernandez led the inning off with a triple and scored on a Joe Sclafani RBI fielder’s choice. Jesse Wierzbicki made it a 2-1 game with an RBI single.
Shoulders took the lead back for Kane County when he blasted a solo home run over the right-field fence in the fourth before knocking in Dan Vogelbach with an RBI single in the fifth.
Quad Cities first baseman Jesse Wierzbicki delivered his second RBI of the game when he smacked a single in the sixth to tie the game at 3-3.
Marco Hernadez was the hero in the sixth inning of the seven-inning game. Oliver Zapata started the inning with a bunt single and scored when Hernandez ripped a liner to left that Jordan Scott misplayed in right field and allowed to go over his head. Zapata scored easily and Hernandez reached third on the game-winning RBI triple.
Mitchell Lambson took the Game 2 loss, going 22⁄3 innings, allowing a pair of runs on 4 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts.
Jeff Antigua pitched around a leadoff single in the seventh to nail down his first save of the year and give the Cougars the 4-3 game to victory to complete the doubleheader sweep.
The Cougars and the Chiefs begin a three-game set Sunday at 1 p.m. at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark. Right-hander Felix Pena (0-0) pitches for the Cougars against fellow righty Tyrell Jenkins (0-1).