MWL1 Cedar Rapids Kernels

Kernels win another late thriller

Published on July 1, 2005 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Cedar Rapids Kernels News Release


Chris Walston hit a shallow sacrifice fly to center in the bottom of the ninth to plate Alexi Casilla with the game-winning run as the Kernels won their second straight against Lansing in a tightly played 2-1 game.

Casilla, who was running for Michael Collins after the Kernel catcher led off the inning with a line drive double that split the gap in left center, slid head first into home before jumping into the arms of his teammates behind home plate as a stunned Lugnut squad somberly made its way off the field.

Without Casilla in the game perhaps the outcome would have been much different. The speedy sparkplug stole third base with Warner Madrigal batting, a move that forced Lansing to reevaluate its strategy. The Lugnuts' brain trust then chose to intentionally walk Josh LeBlanc to set up a possible inning-ending double play. But with Jordan Renz, the hero of Thursday night's game at the plate, LeBlanc stole second base despite being held on with the infield drawn slightly in. With first base open Lansing reliever Scott Roy opted to intentionally load the bases with a free pass to Renz, setting the table for Walston.

Miguel Gonzalez earned his first professional victory in relief of starter Michel Simard. Gonzalez hurled three innings of one-hit ball after Simard held the Lugnuts to just one run - a solo home run by Christian Snavely in the second - on four hits.

Bookending the run in the ninth was a lone tally in the first inning that came via a bloop single off the bat of Collins that landed just over the head of first baseman David Hicks. Freddy Sandoval, who had drawn a one out walk earlier in the inning, scored from third. Sandoval saw his five game hitting streak snapped after lining out to third base in the sixth inning during his only official plate appearance.

Each team collected just five hits with Collins notching two of the Kernels' total. Madrigal, Nate Sutton, and Drew Toussaint each had hits as well.

The Kernels survived a scary moment in the eighth when Sandoval, the team's All-Star third baseman, was struck on the right knee by a wayward Po-Hsuan Keng offering. Sandoval lay writing in pain on the ground for several minutes while being attended to by Cedar Rapids trainer Eric Munson before eventually standing up, testing his leg, and jogging to first.

A large crowd of 4,654 witnessed the Kernels improve to 5-4 in the second half then stuck around afterward to take in a fireworks display. There will be more fireworks Saturday night as the two teams meet again for a 7 p.m. tussle. A post-game display originally scheduled for last Saturday will be shot off courtesy of Procter & Gamble. Gates open at 6 p.m. and fans wishing to attend are advised to purchase tickets early by calling the Cost Cutters Kernels Box Office at 896-7560 and arriving early to pick them up at Will Call.

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Midwest League Stories from July 1, 2005


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