Cougars Come Back to Top Monarchs
Published on May 17, 2026 under American Association (AA)
Kane County Cougars News Release
GENEVA, Ill. - The Kane County Cougars closed out the first series of the 2026 with a 8-5 comeback victory over the Kansas City Monarchs on Sunday afternoon at Northwestern Medicine Field.
Early in the ballgame, Kansas City (1-2) jumped out to an early lead against Cougars' (2-1) starter Ben Kowalski. With one out in the top of the first, Sahid Valenzuela was hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Saul Garza launched a two-run homer down the left field line to give the Monarchs a 2-0 edge.
The Cougars quickly struck back in the bottom of the first against Kansas City starter Dakota Chalmers. Josh Allen was hit by a pitch with one out before stealing second to get in scoring position. Matt Bottcher then poked an opposite field single to score Allen and pull the Cougars within a run.
In the next half inning, Kansas City went up 3-1 on an RBI fielder's choice from Hudson Head. The Cougars struck right back in the bottom half on an RBI single by Charles Mack that made it 3-2.
In the top of the sixth, it looked like Kansas City had broken the game open. Alvaro Gonzalez smacked a two-run double into the right-center field gap off Cougars' reliever Ernie Day (1-0) to give the Monarchs a 5-2 advantage.
However, the Cougars responded in a big way in the bottom of the sixth. Starting the inning against reliever Jacob Gomez, Mack and Zane Spinn worked back-to-back walks. Reliever Nate Webb (0-1) came on in place of Gomez and promptly walked Allen to load the bases. Then, Bottcher came up with the biggest hit of the day for the Cougars. The Romeoville native cracked a bases-clearing double to left field, knotting the score at five all. Later in the inning, Bottcher came in to score on an Armond Upshaw double play groundout to put the Cougars up 6-5. Walks proved to be key, as the Cougars drew 12 free passes in total against Monarchs pitching.
In the bottom of seventh, the Cougars added to the lead. Alex McGarry worked a walk to lead off the inning. Sam Dexter then smoked a triple off the wall in left field to score McGarry and make it 7-5. One batter later, Mack poked another RBI single to score Dexter and push the lead to 8-5.
Once the Cougars took the lead, the bullpen shut the door. Jordan Martinson, Art Warren, and Jake Gozzo combined to hold Kansas City without a baserunner over the final three innings. The trio combined for four strikeouts, with Warren recording three strikeouts out of four outs recorded. Gozzo earned his second save of the year with a 1-2-3 ninth.
The Cougars will have a travel day tomorrow before beginning a series with the Winnipeg Goldeyes on Tuesday. Following three games in Winnipeg, the Cougars will play three games on the road against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. The Cougars return home to Northwestern Medicine Field for a six-game homestand beginning Wednesday, May 27th with a doubleheader against the Sioux Falls Canaries. For tickets and more information visit kccougars.com or call 630-232-8811.
American Association Stories from May 17, 2026
- Explorers' Offense Stalls in Series Finale - Sioux City Explorers
- RailCats Defeat Lake Country 8-1 to Capture First Win of the Season - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- Goldeyes Suffer Sweep at Hands of Milkmen - Winnipeg Goldeyes
- Sioux Falls Completes Sweep of Saltdogs - Lincoln Saltdogs
- Cougars Come Back to Top Monarchs - Kane County Cougars
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
