Cougars Win Wednesday Matinee

GENEVA, ILL. - A go-ahead home run from Jasrado Chisholm put the Kane County Cougars in front for good in a 6-2 victory Wednesday afternoon against the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Northwestern Medicine Field. Kane County (32-33) and Cedar Rapids (30-35) are tied at 1-1 in this three-game series heading into Thursday's rubber game.
The Kernels grabbed the first lead of Wednesday's contest during the top of the first inning. Royce Lewis hit a one-out double and advanced to third base on an errant pickoff throw. Jose Miranda singled against a drawn-in infield for Cedar Rapids to grab a 1-0 advantage.

In a matchup of Midwest League All-Stars, Chisholm homered within the third to give Kane County a 2-1 edge. Jancarlos Cintron was hit by a pitch from Brusdar Graterol, and Chisholm followed with a two-out, two-run blast to right-center field against Graterol.
Luis Lara helped the Cougars increase their lead to 3-1 in the fourth. Ernie De La Trinidad collected a one-out single, moved into scoring position on a single by Eduardo Diaz, and reached third during a force out off the bat of Yan Sanchez. Lara came through with a single that drove in De La Trinidad.
Both teams scored during the fifth inning. Andrew Bechtold drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Jordan Gore and trim the Kernels' deficit to 3-2. The Cougars answered in their half of the inning with a Renae Martinez sacrifice fly that plated Chisholm.
Kane County added two runs in the sixth to secure a 6-2 lead. An error, a walk, and a single loaded the bases to open the inning. Cintron singled to bring in Sanchez. Two batters later, Lara scored on a bases-loaded walk for Martinez.
Mack Lemieux (2-5) earned his second win against Cedar Rapids after holding the Kernels to two runs over five innings. Erbert Gonzalez notched his league-high sixth hold before Carlos Bustamante finished the contest with his third save. Graterol (2-2) gave up three runs in four innings pitched and took the loss.
The finale of this three-game series is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Kernels right-hander Bailey Ober (1-0, 6.21) will start against Cougars right-hander Matt Peacock (3-2, 3.08). Chris Kleinhans-Schulz will call the contest on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com and www.kernels.com.
Cedar Rapids' last homestand in the first half of the season is scheduled for Friday, June 15 through Sunday, June 17. Fans can purchase tickets for all Cedar Rapids home games by visiting www.kernels.com, going to the Kernels Ticket Office, or calling (319) 896-7560. The Kernels Ticket Office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. On Sundays when the Kernels have a home game, the Kernels Ticket Office will open at 11:00 a.m.