GENEVA, Ill. – Behind one of the best starts of the season from Emilo Vargas (1-4), the Kane County Cougars (9-16, 43-53) used a consistent offensive approach to roar past the South Bend Cubs (16-9, 57-37) by a 5-2 tally. The Cougars scored a single run in each of the first three innings providing all of the support they needed to salvage the series finale.

Joey Armstrong had three hits and an RBI to boost his season average to .313 as Trevor Mitsui had his second consecutive multi-RBI game finishing the contest 2-for-2. Although the Cougars struggles with runners in scoring position continued, they made up for it with 13 total hits including a solo blast from Colin Bray, his third home run of the season.

In the first three innings the Cougars scored a single tally in each frame against the Cubs Canadian lefty, Ryan Kellogg (3-7). In the first inning, Trevor Mitsui bashed a sacrifice fly RBI, followed by run scoring hits from Sergio Alcantara and Joey Armstrong in the next two stanzas.

After the Cubs added a run in the fourth, Colin Bray’s towering home run provided another spark in Kellogg’s final inning of work. The final Cougars run was plated in the eigth inning when Mitsui was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

With a dazzling outing, Vargas tossed seven and one-third innings on just five hits and two runs. Efficiently, he only walked one batter with four strikeouts. In July, three of his four outings have been quality ones. In relief, Kirby Bellow (1-0) and Cody Clark (4-0) combined for an inning and one-third scoreless.

Vargas picked up his first win of 2016 in his sixth attempt. Kellogg suffered the loss as Bellow notched a hold with Clark grabbing the save.

Bryant Flete homered and drove in both runs in the loss for South Bend, which has Tuesday off before starting up a series at home against Burlington Wednesday.