Metro Sports Report

Cougars carry Herk's No. 29 to state

The Kennedy Cougars bid their final farewell to Bill Herkelman on Tuesday at the funeral service for their beloved assistant coach, but they'll carry Herk's jersey No. 29 with them onto the field at the Class 4A state baseball tournament Wednesday at Principal Park in Des Moines.

All of the Kennedy players have new practice T-shirts for the state tournament and all the shirts have Herkelman's No. 29 on the back in big numbers. So when the Cougars take the field for pre-game drills Wednesday, there will be several dozen No. 29's all over the place.

Larson lifts Kernels by Clinton

CLINTON - Zack Larson drove in Tanner English with a clutch double in the 10th inning Tuesday night as the Cedar Rapids Kernels trimmed Clinton, 4-3, before 760 fans at Ashford University Field.

English was hit by a pitch to begin the winning rally.

Randy LeBlanc (7-3) picked up the victory in relief for the Kernels. Cam Booser struck out two batters in the 10th inning for his 10th save. Kernels starter Keaton Steele pitched 4.2 shutout innings.

The Kernels built a 3-0 lead after four innings on RBIs by Nick Gordon, Brian Navarreto and Pat Kelly. Clinton rallied for a single run in the seventh inning and two runs in the eighth to force extra innings.

Rafael Valera had two hits for Cedar Rapids.

The Kernels (60-42) and Clinton (32-69) meet again at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Erin Kuba wins Metro Spotlight Award

Erin Kuba of Cedar Rapids Jefferson is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday night.

Kuba, a junior, was a key member of the Jefferson softball team that compiled a 36-9 record this season and placed fourth at the Class 5A state tournament in Fort Dodge last week.

Kuba hit .433 with two home runs and 27 RBIs for the J-Hawks this season. She also did an excellent job on defense at third base with her glove and arm.

Nic Mougin wins Metro Spotlight Award

Nic Mougin of Cedar Rapids Prairie is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school boys this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday night.

Mougin, a junior, was a key member of the Prairie baseball team that won the first Mississippi Valley Conference title in school history this year and set a school record with 31 victories.

Mougin had a .413 batting average entering the Class 4A substate tournament with 15 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 28 RBIs. He played the infield for the Hawks and also compiled a 2-2 record on the mound.