Cougars pull out win over Gary SouthShore

The Kane County Cougars (9-7) closed out a series victory with Sunday’s 3-1 win over the Gary SouthShore RailCats (5-11) in the finale at Northwestern Medicine Field.

Westin Muir (2-2) set the tone for the Cougars on the mound, working his best outing of the season. Muir tossed seven shutout innings, facing just two over the minimum, with one hit and one walk allowed. He tallied four strikeouts and retired the last 15 RailCats he faced.

Ryan Nutof walked the first two batters in the ninth, but sealed his sixth save of the season. He struck out three batters despite allowing Gary to score their first run of the night. Nutof tied Joey Marciano for the league-lead in saves.

Gary starter Carlos Sanabria (0-2) hit Todd Lott in the first inning to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead. Sanabria evaded multiple jams throughout the game, stranding six runners.

Harrison Smith doubled the Cougars lead with an RBI bunt single in the sixth. Josh Allen plated another run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

The Cougars now head to Lincoln, Neb. to begin a nine-game road trip. The Cougars will start with three games against the Saltdogs before visiting the Lake Country Dockhounds and Winnipeg Goldeyes.