Kernels Bats Fall Short in Lake County 8-3 Win Over Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids, IA – After dropping the first four games of the series, Lake County stranded 17 Cedar Rapids runners on base Saturday night to take game five of the series over the Kernels 8-3. After scoring twice in the first inning on Friday, Lake County returned to work early
Cedar Rapids, IA – After dropping the first four games of the series, Lake County stranded 17 Cedar Rapids runners on base Saturday night to take game five of the series over the Kernels 8-3.
After scoring twice in the first inning on Friday, Lake County returned to work early on Saturday. Jake Fox singled to begin the game, then the next batter, Kahlil Watson, smashed a two-run home run to give the Captains a 2-0 edge two batters into the game.
In the bottom half of the first, Emmanuel Rodiguez cut the Lake County lead in half. After a strikeout to begin the frame, Rodriguez crushed a solo home run, his sixteenth of the season, to cut the Captains lead to 2-1.
That 2-1 tally stayed the score until the top of the fifth inning. To lead off the frame, Will Bartlett crushed a solo home run well over the wall in left field to open the Lake County lead back to two at 3-1.
Lake County still held that two-run advantage in the top of the eighth inning. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with one out for Yordys Valdes. With the Captains in need of insurance, Valdes lined a two-run single to open the Lake County lead to four runs at 5-1.
In the top of the ninth inning, the Captains opened it up even more. A single and a walk put two on with two out for Joe Lampe, who tallied on another Lake County run with an RBI single. Behind him, the next batter, Cooper Ingle, ripped a two-run double to set the Captains ahead by a game-high seven runs at 8-1.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Kernels sparked a rally to refuse to go down quietly. Andrew Cossetti and Noah Cardenas notched back-to-back singles to open up the inning. After a Misael Urbina walk loaded the bases, Kyler Fedko cut it to an 8-2 game with an RBI single. After a strikeout, Noah Miller lifted a sacrifice fly to center to plate another Kernels run, but that would be as close as Cedar Rapids got in the 8-3 loss.
The defeat breaks the Cedar Rapids (79-46) six-game winning streak and is the first in the series with Lake County (60-62). The series finale is set for Sunday at 1:05 with Christian MacLeod on the mound opposite Parker Messick in the final Kernels home game of the regular season.