September 11th, 2004
Round 2, Game 1
Kane County at Clinton


Cougars
Name POS AB R H RBI
Brian Ingram SS 6 2 4 1
Luke Appert 2B 6 3 3 1
Vasili Spanos 3B 3 3 1 3
Dan Putnam LF 3 1 1 3
Chris Tritle PR/RF 1
David Castillo DH 4 0 1 2
Jesse Acosta PH 1 1 1 2
Eddie Kim 1B 6 0 3 2
David Harriman C 5 1 0 1
Rich Robnett CF 5 4 3 1
Kory Wayment 3B/RF 4 2 1 0
Kings
Name POS AB R H RBI
Dane Bubela RF 3 0 0 1
Abigal Sandoval SS 4 1 1 1
Micah Furtado 2B 4 0 1 2
Josh Kruezer 1B 4 0 0 0
Larry Grayson CF 3 0 0 0
Justin Hatcher C 1 1 1 0
Andrew Wishy LF 4 0 0 0
Kevin Richardson DH 3 1 0 0
Emerson Frostad 3B 3 1 1 0






E-Putnam, Frostad, Bannister, LOB-Cougars-8, Kings-7, RLISP-Cougars-4, Kings-3, 2B-Ingram, Putnam, Acosta, Castillo, Kim, Robnett, Furtado, HR-Spanos (Kirsten), Robnett (Seeley), RBI-Ingram 3, Appert, Spanos 3, Putnam 3, Castillo 2, Acosta 2, Kim 2, Harriman, Robnett, Bubela, Sandoval, Furtado 2, SACF-Castillo, Bubela, DP-Harriman (Seeley)(4-6-3), Furtado (Dunwell)(6-4-3)

Kane County 2 6 1 0 3 0 2 1 3 18 18 1
Clinton 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 4 4 2

Cougars
Name IP H R ER BB SO Decison WP BK HB AB BF GB FB NP S
Chris Dunwell 6 4 4 4 4 4 W (1-0) 0 0 2 20 27 5 7 99 60
J.R. Pickens 2 0 0 0 1 4 ND 0 0 0 6 7 1 1 27 18
Mike McGirr 1 0 0 0 1 1 ND 0 0 0 3 4 0 2 16 8

Kings
Name IP H R ER BB SO Decison WP BK HB AB BF GB FB NP S
Matt Farnum 1.1+2 6 6 5 1 3 L (0-1) 0 0 0 10 11 0 0 60 41
Joel Kirsten 1.2 4 3 3 1 1 ND 0 0 0 8 10 2 3 31 19
Joldy Watts 3 2 3 3 2 2 ND 0 0 0 11 14 3 4 55 30
John Bannister 1 3 2 1 2 1 ND 0 0 0 6 8 1 0 38 21
Nick Seeley 2 3 4 4 0 1 ND 0 0 2 8 10 4 0 29 20

HB-Spanos (Seeley), Putnam (Seeley), Richardson (Dunwell), Frostad (Dunwell), SO-Ingram, Spanos, Putnam, Castillo, Kim, Harriman, Robnett, Wayment, Bubela 2, Sandoval 3, Furtado, Grayson 2, Richardson 2, BB-Spanos 2, Putnam 2, Harriman, Robnett, Wayment, Sandoval, Grayson, Hatcher 3

T-3:08
A-910 (50 Cougars fans)
Umps-Funneman, Davidson, Tucker, Blaser

The Cougars clobberd the Kings 18-4 in game one of the division championship. Chris Dunwell pitched well going six innings. The offense took care of the rest.

Brian Ingram led off the game with a single to left. Luke Appert then followed with a single to right. One out later Dan Putnam walked to load the bases. One out later, Eddie Kim singled to center. Ingram and Appert would score with Putnam being out at the plate.

The Cougars would score six runs in the second inning and wouldnt have to look back. David Harriman led it off by reaching on an error. Rich Robnett then doubled to left. One out later Ingram singled to right to score both Harriman and Robnett. Appert then followed with a single to right. The Kings then made a pitching change. Spanos walked to load the bases. Putnam would double to left, to score Ingram, Appert, and Spanos. He went to third on the throw home. David Castillo hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Spanos.

Another run in the third inning. With one out, Robnett singled to left. Wayment then singled to left. Ingram would double to left to score Robnett. Three more runs in the fifth inning for the Cougars. Robnett and Wayment led off with walks. Two outs later Spanos creamed one to left for a homer.

The Kings then scored four runs off of Dunwell in the fifth inning.Justin Hatcher led off with a single to third. One out later, Dunwell hit both Kevin Richardson and Emerson Frostad which would load the bases. Dan Bubela hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Hatcher. Abigal Sandoval then hit one just off of Apperts glove to score Richardson. Micah Furtado doubled to left to score both Frostad and Sandoval. Dunwell led off the sixth inning by walking Larry Grayson and Hatcher but was able to get out of trouble.

More fun for the Cougars fans in the seventh. Wayment led off by reaching on an error. Ingram singled to center. Appert then singled to right to score Wayment. Ingram would be out trying to reach third after the throw home. Spanos and Putnam walked which loaded the bases. Castillo singled to left to score Appert.

Robnett hit a homer to right field to lead off the eighth inning. In the ninth they would score twice more. Spanos and Putnam both were hit by pitch. Chris Tritle ran for Spanos. Jesse Acosta pitch hit for Castillo and doubled to left to score both Tritle and Putnam. Eddie Kim singles to left. Harriman grounded into a double play. Acosta would score.

The bullpen pitched well. J.R. Pickens threw two hitless innings. Mike McGirr came on and pitched a shutout ninth.


Clinton Herald


September 12th, 2004
by Larry Brennan Jr.

Saturday's Midwest League Western Division championship series opener was all but over by the second inning.

Unfortunately for the Clinton Lumberkings, it was all but over that early because the Kane County Cougars scored eight runs in the first two innings and rolled to an 18-4 win at Alliant Energy Field.

Kane County, which piled up 18 hits, had nine players score, nine players with hits and eight players with RBI's. Three Cougars had three hit and one had a four hit game.

"You don't want that to happen in a playoff game." Clinton manager Carlos Subero said, "But I think it's even worse when you're winning and the other team comes back to beat you in the ninth inning. We got pounded from the get go. They came out swinging the bats aggressive."

Kane County got off and running with consecutive singles by Brian Ingram (4 for 6, three RBIs) and Luke Appert (3 for 6, three runs scored) Ingram went from first to third on Appert's hit.

After Clinton starting pitcher Matt Farnum struck out Vasili Spanos looking. Dan Putnam drew a walk to load the bases. Farnum then struck out David Castillo, also looking.

Super-sized Eddie Kim (3 for 6, three RBIs) who is 6 feet, 3 inches tall and 265 pounds, then strolled to the plate. Kim laced a double to left-center field.

Ingram and Appert scored on the play. Putnam also tried to score, but L-Kings centerfield Larry Grayson relayed to shortstop Abigail Sandoval, who thre to catcher Justin Hatcher, who tagged Putnam out at the plate to end the inning.

Things went from bad to worse for Clinton in the second inning as Kane County scored six times. David Harriman reached on an error to start the frame. Richard Robnett (3 for 5, four runs scored) followed with a double to left center, moving Harriman to third.

Farnum struck out No 9 hitter Kory Wayment for the first out of the inning. But Ingram followed with a two run single to right. Appert also singled to right, ending the night for Farnum.

Left handed hitters, scorched Farnum, a right hander going 6 for 6 with a walk. Right handed hitters were 0 for 4 against Farnum.

Left hander Joel Kirsten relieved Farnum. He walked the first hitter he faced Spanos, to load the bases. Putnam then put another drive in the left center field gap, as all three runners scored. Putnam went to third when the throw went to the plate.

Castillo then lofted a sacrifice fly to right pating Putnam to make it 8-0.

Kane County went on to score in all but two innings, scoring once in the third, three times in the fifth, twice in the seventh, once in the eighth and three more times in the ninth.

Ingram had an RBI double in the third. Spanos belted a three run homer in the fifth. Appert and Castillo had RBO singles in the seventh. Robnett cracked a solo homer in the eighth. And Castillo and Kim had RBI singles in the ninth while another run scored on a double play.

With the score 12-0 in the fifth inning, Clinton showed signs of life, pushing all four of it's runs across while collecting three of it's four hits.

Justin Hatcher started the L Kings fifth by reaching on an infield hit. With one out, Kevin Richardson and Emerson Frostad were both hit by pitches to load the bases.

Dane Bubela then lofted a sacrifice fly to deep left field. Sandoval follwed with an RBI single to right center before Micah Furtado stroked a two run double to left center, making it 12-4.

The L Kings would go hitless the rest of the way.

Kane County starting pitcher Chris Dunwell got the win, allowing four runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out five.

Cougars relievers J.R. Pickens and Michael McGirr combined for three innings of no hit ball.

Clinton used five pitchers to try to stop the bleeding. All five allowed at least two runs.