The Cedar Rapids Kernels turned quality pitching and clutch hitting into a doubleheader sweep of the Kane County Cougars Thursday night in front of 1,009 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Starting pitchers Josue Montanez and Kohl Stewart gave up only one earned run between them as the Kernels won the opener, 5-2, and took the nightcap, 5-4, although neither pitcher was credited with a win.

Montanez made his first start of the season for the Kernels count, going four innings and surrendering just a pair of unearned runs. Montanez, pressed into the rotation when Randy Rosario went on the 7-day Disbled List, gave up just three hits, walked none and struck out three Cougars batters.

Moving back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation is nothing new for Montanez. The 22-year-old from San Juan, Puerto Rico, made 12 starts and 14 relief appearances for the Kernels a year ago.

“I think I got more than I expected (from Montanez),” said Kernels pitching coach Ivan Arteaga, “especially because he’s got a laceration on his thumb. He’s been bothered with that for about a week now.

"He’s been in this league before, so he knows how to get people out. I wasn’t worried about that. I just wanted him to stay healthy.”

Both teams moved quickly through the first three innings of Game 1 with each team collecting just one hit, but the Kernels pushed a pair of runs across in their half of the fourth on a double by Mitch Garver, a single by Zack Larson and a pair of costly infield errors by the Cougars.

After Kane County answered with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning, Cedar Rapids tacked on three more of its own in the home half of the stanza. Tanner Vavra led off the frame with a double, moved to third base on a Chad Christensen chopper and scored when Garver doubled.

Christensen scored on a wild pitch and Garver scored the game’s final run on an Ivory Thomas sacrifice fly.

Yorman Landa (3-0) picked up his third win of the season with two innings of relief and Brandon Peterson got his second save of the season, striking out two in the seventh and final inning of the game.

Stewart worked 5.2 innings in Game 2 of the twinbill. All three Cougar runs were charged to Stewart, though only one was earned. He gave up an unearned run in the first inning, an earned run in the third and was charged with another unearned run in the sixth inning.

Stewart struck out four Cougars while giving up just three hits and a pair of walks.

“Kohl competed his tail off again,” Manager Jake Mauer observed.

Stewart was less enthused with his own performance.

“I gave us a chance to win the game, so that was the goal,” he said. “I was falling behind (in the counts) a little bit, but towards the end there I was trying to get ahead of guys. A couple fastballs caught too much of the plate, but I guess that happens.”

Kernels center fielder Jason Kanzler got the Kernels on the board in their half of the first inning, singling and moving to third base on a Logan Wade double. Christensen drove Kanzler in with a sacrifice fly.

The Kernels tallied two more runs in the fourth inning on a two-run home run by B.K. Santy. Santy has just three hits since joining the Kernels April 18, but two of them are home runs.

It was Wade, though, who came through with the game-winning hit in the home half of the sixth inning. With two out and Thomas and Kanzler on base, Wade laced a double down the left field line, scoring both runners and giving the Kernels their doubleheader sweep.

Hudson Boyd (3-1) was credited with the win with 1.1 innings of work in relief of Stewart.

Cedar Rapids raised its record to 15-11 with the sweep. The Kernels host Peoria Friday night at 6:35.

GAME 1

KANE COUNTY (2): Hannemann, cf, 3 0 0 0, Penalver, ss, 3 0 0 0, Balaguert, rf, 3 0 0 0, Rogers, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Remillard, c, 3 1 1 0, Bote, 3b, 3 1 1 0, Brockmeyer, dh, 3 0 2 0, Lockhart, 2b, 3 0 1 0, Martin, lf, 3 0 1 1. Totals 27 2 6 1.

KERNELS (5): Kanzler, cf, 4 0 1 0, Vavra, 2b, 4 1 1 0, Christensen, 1b, 3 1 1 0, Garver, dh, 3 2 2 1, Larson, rf, 3 1 2 0, Thomas, lf, 2 0 0 1, Licon, 3b, 3 0 0 1, Altobelli, c, 3 0 0 0, Vielma, ss, 2 0 0 0. Totals 27 5 7 3.

Kane County   000 020 0 - 2 6 4

Kernels       000 230 x - 5 7 1

Torrez, Davis (5) and Remillard. Montanez, Landa (5), Peterson (7) and Altobelli. W - Landa (3-0). L - Torrez (3-1). S - Peterson (2). 2B - Larson (11), Vavra (7), Garver (8). E - Bote (8), Lockhart 2 (3), Penalver (5), Vielma (4). T - 1:59.

GAME 2

KANE COUNTY (4): Hannemann, cf, 4 2 1 0, Penalver, ss, 4 0 1 0, Balaguert, rf, 4 0 0 0, Rogers, 1b, 2 1 0 0, Hankins, 3b, 2 0 1 1, Canela, dh, 3 0 1 1, Brockmeyer, c, 3 0 0 0, Lockhart, 2b, 3 1 1 0, Dunston, lf, 3 0 1 0. Totals 28 4 6 3.

KERNELS (5): Kanzler, cf, 2 2 1 0, Wade, 2b, 4 0 2 2, Christensen, 1b, 3 0 1 1, Garver, c, 3 0 0 0, Larson, rf, 2 0 0 0, Haar, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Thomas, lf, 0 2 0 0, Santy, dh, 2 1 1 2, Vielma, ss, 3 0 2 0. Totals 22 5 7 5.

Kane County   101 001 1 - 4 6 0

Kernels       100 202 x - 5 7 2

Paniagua, Concepcion (5) and Brockmeyer. Stewart, Boyd (6) and Garver. W - Boyd (3-1). L - Concepcion (0-1). 2B - Wade 2 (4). HR - Santy (2). SB - Christensen (7). E - Wade (5), Christensen (2). T - 2:13. A - 1,009.