Cougars on brink of championship

One to go.

The Kane County Cougars put themselves in position for their first Midwest League championship since 2001 with dominating 6-0 victory Thursday night over Lake County (Ohio) at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark.

The Cougars, the Class A affiliate of the Cubs, have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Game 3 is Saturday, with all three games, if necessary, scheduled in Ohio.

Pitching, offense and defense were all there for the Cougars on Thursday. Starting pitcher Duane Underwood tossed 6 no-hit innings. He ran his pitch count to 87, thanks to 5 walks. But he made the pitches he needed to and got an inning-ending double play in the fourth, when he walked the bases loaded.

Lefty Tyler Ihrig worked the final 3 innings, allowing 2 hits, for the save.

"I felt good," said Underwood, the Cubs' second-round draft pick in 2012. "I had a lot of walks, but I was able to keep the team in the ballgame. That's the ultimate goal."

Underwood can bring it in the mid- to upper-90s (mph) with his fastball. But his command abandoned him briefly in the fourth.

"I made some good pitches there, but me and the umpire didn't get along," he said with a smile. "No, I got out of it. That's all that matters."

The Cougars scored 3 in the third inning to chase Lake County starter Jordan Milbrath. The Captains didn't help themselves much, committing 4 errors.

The Cougars' Nos. 1 and 2 hitters, Shawon Dunston Jr. and Mark Zagunis, combined for 5 hits, 4 runs and a walk. Ninth-place hitter Trey Martin had a hit, and those three players give the Cougars an element of speed to pressure opposing teams.

"Very important," said Dunston, who was 2-for-3 with 3 runs, a walk and a sacrifice fly. "Get a rally going, starting off with me. I try to have good at-bats for the team, get on any way possible - bunt single, walk, anything possible to help this team win and contribute."

The Cougars won 91 games in the regular season and are 6-0 in the playoffs. The bus leaves late Friday morning for Ohio.

"I think it's just super consistency, always having each other's back, no matter what," said manager Mark Johnson. "This team's never quit one time the whole year. There hasn't been one game all year where they've just laid down. We've had each other's back from Day 1."