Cougars Explode in 8-Run 5th, Take Game 1 10-8
June 10, 2025 - American Association (AA)
Kane County Cougars News Release
GENEVA, Ill. - In a roller-coaster back-and-forth game, the Kane County Cougars survived a late comeback by the Cleburne Railroaders, and secured the victory Tuesday night at Northwestern Medicine Field.
The Railroaders (17-12) fired first against Chris Mazza (2-2), picking up a run in the second off of s wild pitch to take a 1-0 lead early. The Cougars (13-15) would answer though with a run of their own against Mike Shawaryn (2-3) off of the bat of Oscar Santos and tie the game 1-1.
After Cleburne snatched a 3-1 lead with RBI's from Shed Long Jr. and Steven Rivas, Mazza was able to shut down the Railroaders next 10 batters and keep them from extending their lead.
On the Cougars side, the bats woke up in the 5th inning. Robby Martin Jr. blasted his 4th homerun of the year to lead off the inning, and make the score 3-2. After that, Claudio Finol and Galli Cribbs both reached on singles and set up runners at first and third. Trendon Craig reached on an error on the next at bat, scoring Finol in the process and tying the game 3-3. Josh Allen then roped a double into the outfield that gave the Cougars a lead 4-3 after Cribbs crossed home. The onslaught didn't stop there though. After Marcus Chiu reached base, Nick Dalesandro grounded into a fielder's choice that saw everyone safe, and Craig crossing home for a 5-3 Cougars lead. Armond Upshaw then got involved in the action by singling in Chiu, extending the lead to 7-3. Oscar Santos drew a walk on the next at-bat, and gave the bases loaded over to Martin Jr. He took advantage with a scorched grounder between first and second that scored Dalesandro and Upshaw giving the Cougars a 8-3 lead, and Martin his second and third RBIs in two innings. The final run of the inning came off of the bat of Cribbs Jr. who smacked a single into right field and scored Martin, giving the Cougars a demanding 9-3 lead.
In the 7th inning though, the Railroaders rose from the ashes and put themselves in striking distance. Andres Sosa kicked it off with a single, followed by a walk by Dustin Peterson off Quinn Gudaitis. Shed Long Jr. followed suit reaching on a single and loading the bases for Cleburne with nobody out. Sosa scored on a wild pitch during Jose Sermo's at-bat, making the score 9-4. Sermo would reload the bases after being hit by a pitch, setting the stage for Kyle Martin to secure a single, scoring Peterson and Long making the game 9-6. The Railroaders weren't finished. Steven Rivas put a ball in play that saw him reach on a fielder's choice, but a throwing error by Cribbs Jr. allowed Sermo and Aaron Altherr, who reach on a walk earlier, to score and draw the game even closer to 9-8.
Despite a spirited comeback, the Cougars proved to be too much with their bullpen arms. The Cougars secured a safety run in the bottom of the seventh seeing Craig drive in Cribbs Jr. and giving the Cougars a 10-8 lead. Logan Nissen then came into a pivotal eighth inning, and retired the Railroaders 1, 2, 3, off a strikeout and a double play to secure his hold. The weight of the game then fell on the shoulders of Casey Crosby. In his first save appearance, Crosby dazzled ending the comeback hopes of the Railroaders in four batters. Crosby did it in four batters striking out two, including the final batter of the game with a 98 MPH fastball to secure the 10-8 victory for the Cougars.
The Cougars will continue the series against the Railroaders tomorrow night at 6:30 at Northwestern Medicine Field. Lefty Tommy Sommer will be on the mound for Kane County, facing off against Cleburne's righty Kade Mechals. For tickets and more information, visit kccougars.com or call 630-232-8811.
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