Offense Explodes During 12-2 Kernels Win
August 25, 2016 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Cedar Rapids Kernels News Release
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - The Cedar Rapids Kernels dominated the Quad Cities River Bandits in a 12-2 triumph Thursday at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Lachlan Wells recorded six scoreless innings, and nine different Cedar Rapids batters posted at least one hit as the Kernels finished their first four-game sweep of the season.
The 12-2 win sliced the Kernels' magic number to five. With the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in third place within the playoff race, any combination of Cedar Rapids wins and Wisconsin losses equaling five officially guarantees a berth for the Kernels.
A pair of two-run outbursts within the first and second innings gave Cedar Rapids (36-24, 72-57) a 4-0 lead. In the first, Travis Blankenhorn hit a two-out, two-run triple to put the Kernels ahead. During the second, the Kernels scored on Brandon Lopez's RBI single and an RBI groundout by Luis Arraez.
Five runs in the fourth inning pushed the Kernels' advantage to 9-0. A bases-loaded error allowed both Christian Cavaness and Casey Scoggins to come home and open the scoring in the frame. Two batters later, Blankenhorn added an RBI groundout. Jaylin Davis followed with a two-run double that plated Arraez and Zander Wiel.
Cedar Rapids increased their edge to 11-0 during the bottom of the fifth. Cavaness drove in Rainis Silva with an RBI single, and Arraez singled to bring in Cavaness. Arraez went 2-for-4 to secure a career-high 14-game hit streak and lift his Midwest League-leading batting average to .349 this year.
Wells fired six scoreless frames against Quad Cities (27-33, 58-71) and improved to 6-3 by securing his third consecutive win. He took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before yielding a leadoff single to Hector Roa, but that was the only hit that he allowed within a quality start.
After the Kernels tallied one final run in the seventh inning, the River Bandits rallied for two late scores. Lopez produced a sacrifice fly for Cedar Rapids, but Quad Cities responded in the eighth when Kristian Trompiz scored on a wild pitch. Jake Rogers trimmed the deficit to 12-2 on a ninth-inning RBI double, which brought in Roa for the last River Bandits run.
Thursday's losing pitcher was Quad Cities starter Hector Perez (2-1). He conceded seven runs - four of those runs earned - over 3.1 innings pitched and suffered the first defeat of his professional career.
A seven-game Kernels road swing starts Friday at the Clinton LumberKings. Friday's opener is set for 6:30 p.m., and Cedar Rapids right-hander Tyler Beardsley (0-2, 3.60 ERA) will face Clinton southpaw Luiz Gohara (4-1, 1.61 ERA). Catch the action with Chris Kleinhans-Schulz on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and online at www.kmryradio.com and www.kernels.com.
Tickets for all Kernels home games are available at www.kernels.com, the Kernels Ticket Office and by calling (319) 896-7560. The Kernels Ticket Office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The ticket office is closed on Sundays except on Kernels Sunday home dates when it will open at 11:00 a.m.
Midwest League Stories from August 25, 2016
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- The Pen Is Mightier in 2-1 Win - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Three Arms Fan Fort Wayne - Great Lakes Loons
- Offense Explodes During 12-2 Kernels Win - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- West Michigan Beats South Bend 2-1 - South Bend Cubs
- Bats Silenced by Cougars in Finale - Burlington Bees
- Bandits Blown out as Kernels Complete Sweep - Quad Cities River Bandits
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- Dragons Fall 7-2, Home Winning Streak Ends at 9 - Dayton Dragons
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- Dorminy Doesn't Get Help in Loss - Fort Wayne TinCaps
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- Dragons GameDay for August 25 - Dayton Dragons
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