Cougars open road trip with a loss

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Kane County Cougars opened up a six-game road trip Monday night but suffered a 6-1 loss to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on a cold, windy and rainy night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Cougars had only four hits on offense and committed four errors on defense while never enjoying lead.

Starter Sugar Ray Marimon (0-2) lasted only 2 2/3 innings, using up his pitch count and giving up four hits, walking two and striking out four in the loss. He gave up single runs in the first and third. Jon Keck replaced him and allowed one run in 2 1/3 innings, and Matt Mitchell ceded three runs — two earned — on five hits over three innings. Five of the six Kernels runs were scored by batters who reached on a free pass.

Offensively the Cougars managed their only run in the sixth. Lane Adams doubled with two outs and scored on a Murray Watts RBI single. Yowill Espinal's single in the third and Gerard Hall's double in the fifth were the only other Cougars hits.