Cougars lose tight battle with South Bend

Nine total runs were scored in the third inning between the two teams but a subsequent battle of the bullpens was ultimately won by the South Bend Cubs (16-8, 57-36), who took an 8-5 victory over the Kane County Cougars (8-16, 41-53) at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark.

As Cougars right-handed starter, Jose Almonte (0-2) was removed in the third inning after allowing 6 runs, his counterpart Carson Sands (7-2) was removed from the game in the third, too, giving the Cougars a chance to get back in the game after facing a 6-0 deficit.

Allowing the opponent to score first for the seventh straight time, the Cougars went down 6-0 in the middle of the third inning. The Cubs scored five runs alone in the away half of the third. P.J. Higgins had an RBI-double as the scoring was capped off on Bryant Flete's three-run home run past right-center field. After the home run, Almonte was removed from the game.

In the home half of the third, the Cougars plated four runs, sending left-hander Sands to a pre-mature exit. In the frame, Sands allowed 2 hits, a hit batter, and 4 walks. With the bases loaded, Raymel Flores' fluttering base hit scored one. The remaining three runs all scored on bases loaded walks from Luis Basabe, Trevor Mitsui, and Austin Byler.

With both teams to their bullpens in the fourth inning, the Cubs bullpen shutdown the Cougars. Relievers Greyfer Eregua (3-4), James Norwood (3-1), and Scott Effross (5-0) finished the game. The three hurlers did not allow a single earned run with 8 strikeouts through 6⅓ innings.

The Cougars also had a stellar bullpen outing of their own from Hector Hernandez. The former starter tossed 3⅔ scoreless frames keeping the Cougars down just two runs from innings four through seven. But the Cubs tacked on two runs of insurance in the eighth on a slicing 2-RBI double from Roberto Caro to assure the victory. In the home half of the inning, Mitsui added his second RBI to his stat sheet with a base hit.

Almonte took his second loss in as many starts, while 3⅓ innings of scoreless relief earned Eregua the win for South Bend.