Cougars pound Lugnuts in series finale

LANSING, MI. - Sporting a tireless offensive approach, the Kane County Cougars (11-20, 44-57) finished off a series victory over the Lansing Lugnuts (18-13, 54-47) by a 9-2 tally. Austin Byler and Fernery Ozuna each finished a hit away from the cycle. Ozuna's fifth inning 3-run home run provided the difference in the game.

The Cougars finished the series with 40 total hits, 10 or more in each game. But after scoring only 3 runs in each of the first two games of the series, the Cougars capitalized at their highest clip Monday with runners in scoring position, going 6-for-18 in those situations, while scoring runs in four of the nine innings.

For the fourth game in a row, the Cougars struck first, this time with a pair of runs in the third inning. Joey Armstrong reached first on a single and was tripled home by Ozuna down the left field line. With Ozuna on third, Sergio Alcantara's sacrifice-fly RBI made it 2-0 Cougars.

The Cougars extended their advantage to five with a 3-run fifth inning. After a base hit from Byler and a walk from Armstrong, Fernery Ozuna blasted his third home run of 2016 over the right field wall for a 3-run shot. The Cougars now have back-to-back games with home runs after Frank Christy went yard on Sunday.

Lansing shaved the deficit to three on a base hit from Ryan Hissey in the sixth. After one run scored on the knock, Armstrong fumbled the ball in right and Connor Panas advanced home.

It did not take long for the Cougars to deal out a response. In the eighth, the Cougars padded their lead with a trio of runs to make it 8-2. Colin Bray singled to begin the frame and Trevor Mitsui walked. Byler hit the game's second triple of the game scoring both base runners. Byler finished the day with 3 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBI and a home run away from the cycle. Two men later, Ozuna rapped an RBI hit. Ozuna also had three hits with five RBI, finishing a double away from a cycle.

For flair in the final inning, Bray poked an RBI-double on a soft liner to right field to complete the scoring. The Cougars polished off a series win with 13 total hits and bullpen that pitched 13.1 innings without allowing a run. Tossing 5⅔ innings of 2-run baseball, right-hander Carlos Hernandez (5-7) picked up the win for the Cougars. Totaling 4 innings on 4 runs, lefty Angel Perdomo (3-5) took the loss.

Coming home on Wednesday, the Cougars start a three-game series with the visiting Cedar Rapids Kernels.