Cougars shut out by Cedar Rapids Kernels
Jose Berrios carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and the Kane County Cougars finished with only 2 singles in a 6-0 loss to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Saturday night before a season-high 11,979 at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark.
Berrios (7-5) lasted 71⁄3 innings before leaving the game after being hit by a line drive off the bat of Rock Shoulders. It was Jose Dore who came up with the first hit for the Cougars (47-66, 17-30) in the sixth on a flare into right-center.
Dan Vogelbach added the only other hit with a single to left in the seventh. Dore was the only Cougar to even reach second base after an error put him on in the ninth inning.
Cedar Rapids (71-45, 31-17) broke a scoreless tie in the fourth. Jorge Polanco reached on a Jeimer Candelario error and scored all the way from second on a wild pitch by Felix Pena (4-5).
Travis Harrison then walked with two outs before a Bo Altobelli single. They both scored on a double by Joel Licon. Licon made it a 4-run inning by scoring after a throwing error by Carlos Escobar.
All 4 runs in the fourth were unearned, but Pena was tagged for a pair of earned runs in the sixth. Altobelli started the inning with a single and came home on a Jonathan Murphy double. Niko Goodrum’s run-scoring single drove in Jeremidas Pineda to put the Kernels up by 6.
Sheldon McDonald tossed 22⁄3 innings out of the Cougars’ bullpen in relief of Pena without giving up a run. Stephen Perakslis worked a scoreless ninth inning, and Brian Gilbert recorded the final five outs in place of Berrios to maintain the shutout for Cedar Rapids.
The Cougars and Kernels play the second of their three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m. Right-hander Tayler Scott (5-6) will start for the Cougars against fellow righty Hudson Boyd (3-4).