ROSEMONT, Ill. (BVM) — On the second pitch of the ballgame, Kane County Cougars’ second baseman Josh Allen smacked a solo home run to left field.

In the second inning, he doubled to left-center field and scored both right fielder Jeffrey Baez and center fielder Anfernee Seymour, giving the Cougars a 4-2 lead. He then led off the fifth inning with a single. 

Allen came a triple shy of the cycle. But for the Chicago Dogs, it didn’t matter. 

The Dogs plated 11 runs on 16 hits in front of 4,276 fans at Impact Field in Rosemont, Ill., defeating Kane County 11-7 and taking the teams’ three-game series 2-1. 

For the Dogs, the icing on the cake came in the bottom of the seventh inning. With an 8-7 lead, second baseman Grant Kay led off with a double to right field off Cougars’ right-handed reliever Christian DeLeon. While DeLeon then retired shortstop Harrison Smith, he gave up another double to catcher Ryan Haug, who scored Kay.

Then, beginning their fifth time through the order, left fielder Brennan Metzger added some extra insurance for Dogs. He drilled a two-run, inside-the-park home run to right field, scoring the game-winning runs for Chicago. 

Metzger finished the evening 4-for-5. It was a series to remember for the 31-year-old La Jolla, Calif., native. In addition to his performance Thursday, Metzger also led the Dogs to a 4-3, 10-inning, walk-off win in Tuesday’s series opener with a single down the third-base line.

Until the bottom of the sixth inning, though, “Anything You Can Do” seemed to be what the Cougars were humming. 

Allen and Cougars’ catcher Josh Rolette took Dogs’ right-handed starter Jordan Kipper deep just four pitches into the game, giving the away side an early 2-0 lead. 

Chicago then answered with two runs off their first three hitters in the bottom of the first inning. Center fielder Michael Crouse tripled and brought home Metzger, who led off the inning with a double, before designated hitter Danny Mars doubled and scored Crouse to tie the ballgame.

In the bottom of the fourth, Kay drove home right fielder Anfernee Grier to narrow Kane County’s lead to 4-3, but Cougars’ first baseman Kacy Clemens then drove home Allen on a standup double in the top of the fifth.

Half an inning later, Mars drilled a two-run home run to tie the game at 5-5, but shortstop Nick Lovullo did the same for Kane County in the top of the sixth. 

Down 7-5, momentum finally shifted in the Dogs’ favor in the bottom of the sixth. Mars brought home Metzger on a force out to first base, tying the game, before Crouse came home on a wild pitch off Cougars’ right-handed reliever Ryan Richardson, giving Chicago its first lead of the night.

Richardson was credited with the loss for Kane County, surrendering four hits and three earned runs across two innings of work, while Dogs’ right-hander Jace Dalton earned his third win of the season. With offense flowing across both sides, it was not a great night for either starter. Left-hander Koby Bishop and right-hander Jordan Kipper gave up five runs apiece for Kane County and Chicago, respectively.

The win meant a great deal for Chicago manager Butch Hobson. The 69-year-old recorded his 2,100th all-time managerial win and is now ranked 18th overall in wins for professional baseball managers.

Next up for the Dogs is a three-game series July 30-Aug. 1 against Kansas City, while the Cougars will begin a nine-game homestand starting with a three-game series against Sioux Falls.