Geneva, IL – The Kane County Cougars (42-44) gave the Gary SouthShore RailCats (36-49) all they could handle, but the visitors came up clutch in the late stages to pull away with an 8-7 victory.
Immediately, the Cougars got off to a hot start and took the lead in their first turn at bat. A Todd Lott single and a Jonah Davis two-run automatic double fired Kane County ahead 3-0.
Having to play from behind early, the RailCats produced a quick response and fought their way into the run column. A Thomas Greely single brought Daniel Lingua home from second base to produce their first run in the top of the second, cutting their early deficit to two.
The very next inning, Gary SouthShore broke through with a three-run frame of their own to pull ahead. Gio Díaz and Marcos Gonzalez kickstarted the rally with back-to-back singles. Jesus Marriaga drove them both in on a three-run triple, later scoring himself as LG Castillo registered a base hit, placing the RailCats in front 4-3.
However, the Gary SouthShore momentum was short-lived. The Cougars plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning, restoring their advantage at 5-4.
For the next three innings, the bullpens took control of the contest. Oddy Nuñez, Jose Betances, and Aaron Phillips combined to shut the Kane County lineup down, keeping Gary SouthShore behind by one heading into the final third.
Building upon their success on the mound, the RailCats stormed ahead in the top of the seventh, putting together their second three-run inning. Greely, Díaz. And Michael Woodworth rattled off consecutive base hits to load the bases with no outs, and after a Gonzalez ground ball resulted in an error to tie the game, Jackson Valera lined a two-run single, supplying Gary SouthShore a 7-5 edge.
Down to their final six outs, though, the Cougars battled back. A two-run Cornelius Randolph double evened the score once again, requiring the RailCats to forge one last late push.
In need of one last boost, Valera came through to deliver the clutch knock in the top of the ninth. Following a Díaz infield single, he roped a double to the right-center field gap, chasing him all the way home to propel the ‘Cats back on top 8-7 needing three outs to secure the win.
Though the Cougars placed both the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the ninth, DJ Wilkinson stepped up to slam the door shut. He fanned Hector Sanchez for the final out, closing out a dramatic victory.
The RailCats return to Northwestern Medicine Field at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday for their series rubber match against the Cougars. All the action will be streamed on www.aabaseball.tv as well as over the radio on 95.9 WEFM and the Gary SouthShore RailCats Broadcast Network via the Mixlr app.
