Kernels drop second straight to lowly LumberKings

May 14, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Cedar Rapids Kernels News Release

A trio of Clinton pitchers held the Kernels to just four hits at Alliant Energy Field on Saturday as the LumberKings handed Cedar Rapids a 5-2 loss.

Jake Rasner (2-3) pitched six innings of two-hit ball for the LumberKings as they won on back-to-back days for the first time this season to improve their record to 12-23. The loss drops the Kernels to 17-19.

The Kernels managed just two hits prior to the eighth inning, but both were huge as Travis Schlichting and Jordan Renz both took Rasner out of the park to keep the Kernels in the game.

Schlichting's liner, which hugged the foul pole as it passed over the fence in left, came on the first pitch he saw from the Clinton right-hander and spotted the Kernels a 1-0 lead. But that advantage would be short lived as Clinton scored two in the bottom half of the frame on a two-run double by Brian Valickha.

Renz's clout came two innings later off Rasner and with two strikes in the count. His blast, which landed on a new grass berm in left, was his team-leading sixth of the season. But that would be all the offense the Kernels would muster as Rasner, Jose Marte, and Kevin

Altman combined to shut down the visiting team. Altman earned his second save of the year with a scoreless ninth that included two strikeouts.

Tommy Mendoza (1-4) took the loss for the Kernels despite striking out six L-Kings in 5 2/3 innings of work. Mendoza gave up three runs in the sixth in addition to Valickha's double in the second.

Rafael Cruz, who rejoined the team from Salt Lake earlier in the day, and Robert Romero combined to pitch 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

The Kernels and LumberKings meet again along the Mississippi River on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Midwest League Stories from May 14, 2006

• Kernels snap skid against LumberKings - Cedar Rapids Kernels
• Kernels return home May 16th - Cedar Rapids Kernels
• Lansford Fires No-Hitter for Cougars - Kane County Cougars
• Snappers and Cougars Split Doubleheader - Beloit Sky Carp
• Lugnuts Slip By Whitecaps - Lansing Lugnuts
• Adenhart Bests Poveda in Pitcher's Duel - Clinton LumberKings
• First place slips away from the Whitecaps - West Michigan Whitecaps
• Chiefs Hit, Pitch Way Past South Bend - Peoria Chiefs
• Hawks brought down by Chiefs - South Bend Silver Hawks
• Rain continues to pour on Swin - Quad Cities River Bandits
• Bees and Swing Rained Out - Burlington Bees
• Community Basket Drawing Postponed - Burlington Bees
• Samuels returns from DL - Quad Cities River Bandits
• Alliant Energy Field passes inspection - Clinton LumberKings
• No Baseball for Mom Today - Dayton Dragons
• Timber Rattlers rained out again - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• Kernels drop second straight to lowly LumberKings - Cedar Rapids Kernels

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