Cougars take Game 1 of playoffs 5-2

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Mark Zagunis and the Cougars are a win away from the Midwest League championship after a 5-2 victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Cougars piled on 4 runs in the final three innings for the Game 1 victory of the Western division championship.

Coming into Saturday's contest, six of the last games between the two teams were decided by one run. This battle remained tied until the seventh inning when Zagunis ripped a groundball toward second baseman Ryan Walker with runners at second and third. Walker had trouble gloving the ball cleanly and it ricocheted into shallow center to send both runners home. Tanner English got revenge on Zagunis with a looping triple that the Cougar right fielder misjudged and brought the Kernels back within one. Zak Hermans (1-0) was pulled for Michael Heesch after walking Chad Christensen to continue the inning, but Heesch struck out Max Murphy to end the threat.

Cael Brockmeyer answered with a triple of his own to start the eighth and scored on Daniel Lockhart's fly ball to center field. Lockhart's sacrifice was the only run not produced off Zagunis' bat. The 2014 third round draft pick first put the Cougars on the board with an RBI triple in the third and then took Hudson Boyd deep in the top of the ninth for his first home run as a Cougar and a 5-2 lead.

Brandon Bixler (0-1) suffered the loss as Francisco Carrillo (1) struck out the side for the postseason save. The series will now shift to Fifth Third Bank Ballpark on Sunday and if necessary Monday. The Cougars can eliminate the Kernels with a win. Paul Blackburn (9-4, 3.23) will take the mound for the Cougars against the Kernels' John Curtiss. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.