Kernels Notch Eight Runs on Thirteen Hits, Cruise Past South Bend 8-3
May 3, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
Cedar Rapids Kernels News Release
Cedar Rapids, IA - Cedar Rapids scored a run in each of the first two innings Saturday night and never looked back, besting South Bend 8-3 in game five of the series.
After South Bend opened the scoring Friday night, Cedar Rapids looked to get on the board first on Saturday. With one out in the bottom of the first, Kyle DeBarge worked a walk, he moved to third on a Brandon Winokur single, and scored a batter later on a Gabriel Gonzalez RBI base hit to put the Kernels on top 1-0.
In the home half of the second, the Kernels added one more. Nate Baez led off the inning with a walk, then singles by Misael Urbina and Kaelen Culpepper loaded the bases for DeBarge, who cued an RBI infield single to make it 2-0 Cedar Rapids.
In the top of the third, the Cubs grabbed a run back. Drew Bowser led off the inning with a walk, then stole second. After a Christian Hernandez single moved Bowser to third, he scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-1.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Kernels opened up their lead. Culpepper led off with a single, and DeBarge followed with a walk. Gonzalez then lined a single into left field to plate DeBarge and make it 3-1. One batter later, Danny De Andrade smashed an RBI double into right center to up the Cedar Rapids edge to 4-1. After him, Khadim Diaw made it a three-spot in the inning with an RBI groundout to pad the lead to 5-1.
In the last of the fifth, the Kernels added two more. Culpepper singled with two outs, then DeBarge walked. After both runners moved up on a double steal, Gonzalez lined a base hit into left to score them both to make it 7-1 Cedar Rapids.
In the top of the sixth, South Bend got two runs back. Carter Trice walked to lead off the inning, then Andy Garriola doubled to plate Trice and make it 7-2. A one-out single from Reivaj Garcia brought Trice home to make it a 7-3 game.
But that would be the closest the Cubs would get. Danny De Andrade tripled to begin the eighth and came home to score on a Jaime Ferrer sacrifice fly to make it 8-3 Kernels, the score that would be the final.
With the win, Cedar Rapids goes to 16-9 on the season and to 4-1 in the series with South Bend, clinching their fourth series victory of the year. Game six of the series is set for Sunday at 1:05 pm with Jeremy Lee on the mound for the Kernels against Kenteen Egbert.
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