MWL Cedar Rapids Kernels

Culpepper's Five Scoreless Innings Leads Bunnies Over River Bandits 5-3

Published on July 7, 2023 under Midwest League (MWL)
Cedar Rapids Kernels News Release


Cedar Rapids, IA - Playing as the Cedar Rapids Bunnies, C.J. Culpepper led the charge tossing his second straight scoreless outing since joining Cedar Rapids, going five strong frames in a 5-3 win over Quad Cites Friday night.

After a nine-run output a night ago, the Bunnies picked up right where they left off. In the bottom of the first, a two-base error put Emmanuel Rodriguez in scoring position for Kala'i Rosario, who ripped a run-scoring single to put Cedar Rapids up 1-0.

With the 1-0 tally on the board to begin the bottom of the second, Noah Miller took a leadoff walk, then the next batter Noah Cardenas smashed his second home run of the series, a two-run blast over the left field wall to open the Cedar Rapids lead to 3-0.

That 3-0 score stayed all the way until the bottom of the fifth inning, thanks to the work of C.J. Culpepper on the mound. After going six scoreless innings in his high-A debut last week, Culpepper pitched five scoreless innings again tonight, allowing just three hits with no walks and six strikeouts, earning his first Cedar Rapids victory.

In the bottom of the fifth frame, the Bunnies added two more runs. Singles by Rodriguez and Rosario put two on for Noah Miller, who drove home a run with a single, as did the next batter Cardenas to up the Cedar Rapids edge to 5-0.

After Culpepper left the game, Mike Paredes pitched to a scoreless sixth inning but got into trouble in the seventh. After a hit by pitch and a single put two on base, River Town produced a run with a base hit, then a few batters later, Jack Alexander smoked a two-out two-run double to cut the Bunnies lead down to 5-3.

But that would be the closest the River Bandits got. John Wilson tossed a scoreless eighth inning, and Miguel Rodriguez slammed the door in the ninth, grabbing his league-best 11th save of the season in the 5-3 Bunnies win.

The victory for Cedar Rapids (49-30) is the fourth in as many games to begin the series with Quad Cities (35-43), and it's the league's best 27th victory at home this season. The six-game series continues with game five tomorrow night at 6:35 with Cory Lewis on the mound for the Kernels opposite Tyson Guerrero.

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