Cougars Roll Past Saltdogs in Series Opener
Published on May 29, 2026 under American Association (AA)
Kane County Cougars News Release
GENEVA, IL - The Kane County Cougars (9-4) opened their series against the Lincoln Saltdogs (4-10) with a convincing 12-3 victory on Friday night at Northwestern Medicine Field.
The Cougars jumped in front early and never looked back behind a strong start from Ben Kowalski (1-0) and a balanced offensive attack that produced 15 hits, tying a season high.
After Kowalski worked a scoreless first inning, Kane County struck in the bottom half against Trey Jones (1-2). Armond Upshaw, Matt Bottcher, and Alex McGarry all reached base before Claudio Finol cleared them with a three-run double off the wall in center field, giving the Cougars a 3-0 lead.
Kowalski ran into traffic in both the second and third innings but worked out of trouble each time. The right-hander continued to settle in, retiring seven straight batters at one point and holding Lincoln scoreless through six innings. He allowed just five hits while striking out six to earn his first victory of the season.
The Cougars added another run in the third when Finol drove in Bottcher with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 4-0.
Kane County broke the game open in the fifth. Bottcher doubled and Todd Lott followed with an RBI double before the Cougars sent all 9 batters to the plate in a five-run inning. Charles Mack and Sam Dexter each delivered RBI singles, Upshaw added an RBI double, and the Cougars pushed the lead to 9-0.
The offense kept rolling in the seventh. Mack doubled home Finol, Dave Matthews collected his first hit of the season with an RBI single, and Bottcher capped the inning with his fourth hit of the night to make it 12-0.
Lincoln finally broke through in the eighth with back-to-back home runs from Cael Chatham and Cary Arbolida before adding another run later in the inning, but the Cougars' bullpen closed the door. Jordan Martinson worked a scoreless ninth inning to secure the win.
Finol finished with four RBI, moving into sole possession of the American Association lead with 18 on the season. Bottcher paced the offense with a four-hit night, while every member of the Cougars' starting lineup reached base at least once.
The Cougars will continue their series against the Saltdogs on Saturday night at Northwestern Medicine Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. as Kane County looks to secure another series victory. For more information, visit kccougars.com or call 630-232-8811.
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