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MWL1 Cedar Rapids Kernels

Kernels finish off sweep of Whitecaps

May 22, 2005 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Cedar Rapids Kernels News Release


Michael Collins just missed hitting for the cycle and Rafael Rodriguez continued his dominance of Midwest League hitters as the Kernels swept West Michigan out of town with a 13-7 victory on Sunday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Collins drove in seven runs - the most this season by a Kernel - as Cedar Rapids won its fourth straight against the Whitecaps to earn the team's first series sweep of the year.

It was Collins who helped to put the Kernels on the board first with a hit-and-run single in the second that moved Aaron Peel to third base. Peel scored on a ground out by Warner Madrigal.

Collins' day wasn't done. After back-to-back line drive RBI singles to right by Freddy Sandoval and Peel, Collins smoked a double to left that scored both Sandoval and Peel. He added a two-run homer to center in the fifth before adding another double in the eighth that cleared the bases for three more runs.

Rafael Rodriguez cruised through six innings of work before walking a pair of batters with one out in the seventh and being lifted for reliever Nic Touchstone. Both runners eventually scored, making Rodriguez's final line slightly less awe-inspiring. It was still a good day for the Dominican right-hander as he struck out eight while holding the Whitecaps to just five hits and three runs.

As a whole the Kernels offense was just as hot as Collins. Seven of the starting nine collected hits and seven scored at least one run. Sandoval was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and three RBI of his own and Nate Sutton was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored at the bottom of the order.

The Kernels were held scoreless in just two innings - the first and seventh - and out-hit the Whitecaps 12 hits to 11 in improving their season mark to 18-25.

West Michigan starter Dallas Trahern, who entered the game 1-4 but with a sub-3.00 ERA, was hit early and often to take his fifth loss of the year. He went five innings while serving up eight hits, eight runs (seven earned) and hitting a pair of Kernels.

The Whitecaps touched up the Kernel bullpen for four runs over the game's final two and two-thirds innings but the outcome was never in doubt.

The four-game winning streak is the team's longest of the season. It also gives them the season series edge over the Whitecaps, six games to two. The two teams do not meet again in the regular season.

After scoring 10-plus runs on Sunday area residents can purchase up to 10 beef tacos at Cedar Rapids area Taco Bells for just 39 cents each as part of the ‘Taco Bell Ten Spot' promotion. This is the second time this year the Kernels and Taco Bell have teamed up to provide the discount to area residents.

The Kernels will now return to the road for four games in Beloit against the Snappers before coming back to Veterans Memorial Stadium to begin an eight-game home stand on Friday, May 27th.

Check out the Cedar Rapids Kernels Statistics



Midwest League Stories from May 22, 2005


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