Baker's 3-run blast lifts Cougars.(Sports)

0 Comments | Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), April, 2003 | by Fitzpatrick, Jerry

Byline: Jerry Fitzpatrick Daily Herald Sports Writer Kane County Cougars cleanup hitter John Baker said he knew he would get a pitch to hit from Battle Creek reliever Francisco Villegas. Baker just didn't know he would get all of it. The Cougars trailed 7-6 with runners at first and second and two away in the eighth inning when Baker crushed a 3-1 fastball for a towering 3-run home run that cleared the center-field fence by 50 feet.

Baker's blast and a 1-2-3 ninth inning by reliever Bill Muessig secured a 9-7 win over the Yankees at Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva on Sunday. The win was the Cougars' first when trailing after seven innings this season. "I was looking for a fastball," said Baker, who went 3-for-5, including a double. "I knew he didn't want to...