Cougars Split Doubleheader in Pair of Shutouts
Published on May 27, 2026 under American Association (AA)
Kane County Cougars News Release
GENEVA, IL - The Kane County Cougars (7-4) and Sioux Falls Canaries (9-3) split a pair of seven-inning pitchers' duels on Wednesday at Northwestern Medicine Field. Kane County took game one 4-0 before Sioux Falls answered with a 1-0 victory in game two.
Game 1: Cougars 4, Canaries 0
Runs were hard to find early as Reese Sharp (1-1) and Derek Craft (1-1) traded scoreless innings through the first three frames. Sharp settled in quickly, striking out the side in the fourth inning while retiring the middle of the Sioux Falls order for the second time.
The Cougars broke through in the bottom of the fourth. Matt Bottcher singled before Todd Lott doubled into the gap to put runners at second and third. Alex McGarry lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Bottcher and give Kane County a 1-0 lead.
Claudio Finol added to the advantage later in the inning with an RBI single before eventually scoring on a Zane Spinn base hit to make it 3-0.
Sharp continued to dominate in the fifth, finishing his outing with nine strikeouts across five scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and one walk.
Kane County added one final run in the sixth when Finol ripped an RBI double into left-center field to score Bottcher and extend the lead to 4-0. Jake Gozzo worked around a bases-loaded jam in the seventh to finish off the shutout.
Cougars pitching combined for 11 strikeouts in the opener, while Finol paced the offense with two hits and two RBI.
Game 2: Canaries 1, Cougars 0
Game 2 quickly turned into another pitchers' battle, with the lone run coming in the first inning.
After retiring the first two hitters, Westin Muir (0-1) surrendered a solo home run to Jabari Henry that gave Sioux Falls a 1-0 lead.
That proved to be enough support for Dylan Kirkeby (1-0), who kept the Cougars off the scoreboard throughout the afternoon. Kane County threatened in the third after Kirkeby issued a pair of walks, but Sioux Falls escaped with an inning-ending double play.
Muir settled in after the early homer, retiring seven straight hitters at one point to keep the Cougars within striking distance. Logan Nissen and Zach Veen followed with scoreless relief appearances to keep the deficit at one.
The Cougars brought the tying run aboard in the seventh after Bottcher opened the inning with a single, but Charlie Hasty induced a double play before recording the final out to secure the shutout victory for Sioux Falls. Hasty picked up his league-leading fourth save of the season.
The two teams combined for just six hits in game two as pitching dominated both ends of the doubleheader.
The Cougars will finish their series against the Canaries tomorrow, May 28th at Northwestern Medicine Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. It is the first Thirsty Thursday presented by Miller Lite. For more information, visit kccougars.com or call 630-232-8811.
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