MWL1 Cedar Rapids Kernels

Late rally falls short as Kernels drop third in a row

Published on May 22, 2006 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Cedar Rapids Kernels News Release


The visiting Kane County Cougars handed the Kernels their third straight loss on Monday night with a 6-4 triumph at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The loss drops the Kernels to 20-25 on the year while the Cougars increased their stranglehold on first place in the Western Division by improving to 26-18, a full six and a half games better than the Kernels.

Cedar Rapids threatened with a late rally in the bottom of the ninth after Mark Trumbo roped a one-out double down the line in right and Brett Martinez followed with a walk off Cougars reliever Steve Sharpe. Hainley Statia drew a walk to load the bases for Brad Coon, who lifted a sacrifice fly to center to plate Trumbo and move Martinez to third. Jordan Renz re-loaded the bases after Sharpe's first offering hit him in the back, but Flint Wipke struck out swinging and Kane County catcher Anthony Recker picked up the dropped third strike and stepped on home plate to end the game.

Kernels starter Robert Mosebach (3-2) pitched effectively after allowing the Cougars to bat around in the first inning. Kane County sent nine men to the plate in the first frame and grabbed an early 4-0 lead. Mosebach settled down after that but ultimately allowed five earned runs through 7 2/3 innings of work.

Jason Ray (3-1) earned the win for the Cougars by surrendering just two hits and one run in five innings pitched. That one run came in the second when Larry Infante scored on a grounder up the middle by Marco Albano to cut the Cougars' lead to 4-1.

The Cougars scored important insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings that proved crucial to their victory. Jeff Baisley had an RBI single off Rafael Cruz in the eighth and Cruz also gave up a line single to Isaac Omura in the ninth that plated Steve Kleen.

Sharpe, the winner in Sunday afternoon's extra-inning affair, earned the save, his ninth of the year, by pitching the two innings and allowing just one run of his own. He did allow an inherited runner to score on a sacrifice fly by Flint Wipke after entering in the eighth but got Warner Madrigal and Infante to ground out to end the threat. Hainley Statia scored the Kernels' first run of the inning when he scored on a wild pitch by Joe Newby, whom Sharpe took over for after Newby walked Jordan Renz.

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Midwest League Stories from May 22, 2006


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