Madison Boer grew up in Eden Prairie, Minn., and rooted for the Twins when he was growing up, so he was delighted when his favorite team tabbed him in the second round of the 2011 draft.

He dreams of putting on a Minnesota Twins jersey and pitching at Target Field.

"Oh, every day. All the time. It's motivation," he said Saturday night, standing in a hallway outside the Cedar Rapids Kernels clubhouse. "Everyone in there should be thinking that's their goal."

Boer took another step in the right direction Saturday when he collected his team-high seventh save as the Kernels blanked Peoria, 1-0, in a Midwest League game before 5,039 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Kernels (81-48) got the only run they needed on a home run by Michael Quesada, who also did a nice job behind the plate by catching a four-hit shutout.

Josue Montanez (6-5) pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed only three hits. Brandon Bixler pitched one-third of an inning and collected his first "hold," then Boer tossed 2 1/3 hitless innings with two strikeouts for the save.

"Montanez threw the ball really good. And Madison Boer, what can you say?," remarked Cedar Rapids Manager Jake Mauer. "The guy got us seven outs. He came into a tough situation with the bases loaded and got the out (in the seventh). He had an easy eighth and really just gutted out the ninth.

"He's got that look about him," said Mauer. "He goes right after people."

Boer, 23, was a starter and closer at the University of Oregon and performed both roles for Mauer at Fort Myers in the High-A Florida State League last year. He broke his left (non-throwing) hand this year and was assigned to Cedar Rapids in the Low-A Midwest League, where he's been strictly a reliever.

"He's found a spot at the back end of the bullpen," said Mauer.

Boer has a 2.19 ERA in 16 appearances for the Kernels. He has struck out 20 batters in 24 2/3 innings and has converted 7-of-8 save opportunities.

Boer is the only player from Minnesota on the Kernels roster, but he rarely gets asked by his teammates about the Twins or Target Field. "They ask me why I don't have much of an accent," he said, smiling. "All the other Minnesota guys in the organization have very thick Minnesota accents. I don't."

Boer had his ups-and-downs as a starter at Fort Myers in 2012 and is excelling now as a closer, but he's not ready to abandon the idea of becoming a starter again. "I think it's too soon to say that," he remarked.

Quesada belted the first pitch he saw from Peoria left-hander Kyle Helisek over the left-field wall for the only run of the game in the third inning. It was a changeup and he got all of it. "I saw it well and made contact," he said simply.

Quesada is hitting only .189 with two homers, but Mauer thinks he's worth his wait in gold behind the plate.

"I'll tell you what," said Mauer. "He's done a great job behind the plate with his game-calling. If you have a good catcher, it doesn't matter if he's 3-for-3 or 0-for-3. He handles the game.

"I was happy for him," said Mauer. "That's fun, when somebody who has been putting the work in gets things going. You have to smile for him."

Quesada keeps battling, despite his sub-.200 batting average.

"It's all about the attitude," said Quesada. "You can't sit there and worry about stuff every time you come to the park. You've got to act like it's opening day every day."

The Kernels got only three hits, and Quesada got the one that mattered.

The Kernels and Peoria Chiefs (66-62) meet again Sunday at 2:05 p.m. at Perfect Game Field.

PEORIA (0): McElroy, cf, 4 0 0 0, Valera, 2b, 4 0 1 0, Martin, dh, 4 0 1 0, Schaffer, 1b, 4 0 0 0, Walton, lf, 4 0 0 0, Herrera, ss, 3 0 0 0, Martini, rf, 3 0 1 0, Vargas, 3b, 3 0 1 0, Velazco, c, 3 0 0 0. Totals 32 0 4 0.

KERNELS (1): Murphy, cf, 3 0 1 0, Licon, 3b, 4 0 0 0, Kepler, lf, 4 0 0 0, A.Walker, rf, 2 0 0 0, Gonzales, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Harrison, dh, 2 0 0 0, Grimes, 2b, 3 0 1 0, Quesada, c, 3 1 1 1, R.Walker, ss, 3 0 0 0. Totals 27 1 3 1.

Peoria      000 000 000 - 0 4 1
Kernels     001 000 00x - 1 3 1

Helisek, Lee (8) and Velazco. Montanez, Bixler (7), Boer (7) and Quesada. W - Montanez (6-5). L - Helisek (7-6). S - Boer (7). HR - Quesada (2). E - Valera (17), Grimes (6). T - 2:27. A - 5,039.