Houston's Two Home Runs Power Kernels Past Timber Rattlers, 8-3
Published on June 5, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
Cedar Rapids Kernels News Release
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Marek Houston belted a pair of home runs, leading the Kernels to their first win in the series against Wisconsin, 8-3, Friday night.
For the first time in the set, the Kernels scored first. In the bottom of the first inning, Brandon Winokur reached on an error. After he stole second, he stole third and scored on a balk to put Cedar Rapids on top 1-0.
Wisconsin countered in the top of the second. With one out, Daniel Dickinson singled and stole second, moving into scoring position for Tayden Hall, who tied the game 1-1 with an RBI base hit.
That stayed the score until the top of the sixth. Riley Quick got the start for the Kernels and allowed just one run on two hits with six strikeouts in four innings of work.
In the top of the sixth, Wisconsin took the lead. To lead off the inning, Andrew Fischer crushed a solo shot to right to lift the Timber Rattlers ahead 2-1.
But that was Wisconsin's only lead of the night. The Kernels jumped back in front and did not look back in the seventh. With one out, Danny De Andrade singled and scored a batter later on a Marek Houston two-run home run to push the Kernels ahead 3-2. The next three Kernels hitters all walked to load the bases, and after a strikeout, Jay Thomason walked to drive in a run to make it 4-2. With the bases still loaded, a wild pitch plated another run before Quinn McDaniel drove in two more with a two-run single to grow the advantage to 7-2.
In the eighth, Houston was not done. To lead off the inning, he lined his second home run of the night, a solo shot to left, to up the Cedar Rapids edge to 8-2.
The Timber Rattlers got a run back in the top of the ninth, but that was the closest they would get in the 8-3 Kernels win.
The win improves Cedar Rapids to 27-28 on the season and to 1-3 in the series with Wisconsin. The sixth-game set with the Timber Rattlers continues Saturday at 6:35. Cesar Lares gets the start for the Kernels opposite Wande Torres.
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