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Cornelius Randolph’s single with none out in the bottom of the 11th inning gave the Kane County Cougars (5-0) a 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Goldeyes in game one of the Miles Wolff Cup Final at Northwestern Medicine Field Saturday evening.
Box Score
The Kane County left fielder hit an 0-2 pitch from Ben Onyshko (L, 0-1) up the middle to bring home right fielder Armond Upshaw from second base and end the ballgame.
The Cougars were one out away from winning the contest in the top of the ninth, only to see Winnipeg (4-3) third baseman Dayson Croes tie the score at 1-1 with a double to right-centre field that drove in pinch runner Evan Alexander all the way from first.
Kane County had opened the scoring in their first at-bat when Upshaw came in on Randolph’s sacrifice fly to left field.
What was advertised as a marquee matchup between two of the top pitchers in the American Association certainly delivered. Goldeyes starter Joey Matulovich did not allow an earned run in six innings of work and gave up just two hits. He struck out five and walked two.
The Cougars’ Greg Mahle went seven scoreless innings and surrendered only four hits. Vin Timpanelli (W, 1-0), who was the fifth Kane County pitcher of the game, recorded the final two outs of the top of the 11th to earn the win.
Tasker Strobel, Thomas Ponticelli, and Joey Steele also came out of the bullpen for Winnipeg.
The Goldeyes outhit the Cougars eight to six, with Croes and left fielder Miles Simington each recording a pair. Winnipeg did have their chances, leaving ten runners on base.
Game two of the best-of-five series is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CDT in Geneva. Landen Bourassa (0-0, 7.36 ERA) will make his second start of the postseason for the Goldeyes, while fellow right-hander Jack Fox (0-0, 0.00 ERA) is expected to take the mound for Kane County.
The series will shift to Blue Cross Park for game three, Tuesday, September 17 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at Goldeyes.com/Tickets.