MWL Cedar Rapids Kernels

Ortega's Walk-off Single Leads Kernels Past Timber Rattlers 6-5

August 19, 2023 - Midwest League (MWL)
Cedar Rapids Kernels News Release


Cedar Rapids, IA - With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Jorel Ortega lifted a ball off the top of the left field wall, scoring Emmanuel Rodriguez all the way from first base to score the game's winning run as the Kernels walk off Wisconsin 6-5 in game five of the series Saturday night.

After leading wire-to-wire in the 6-4 win on Friday, the Kernels grabbed the lead first again on Saturday. In the bottom of the first inning, Ben Ross crushed a two-out solo home run, his 17th long ball of the season, to put the Kernels up 1-0.

In the top of the second, however, Wisconsin came back to tie things up. To lead off the inning, Mike Boeve ripped a double, a groundout then moved him to second, and a Jose Acosta RBI groundout scored him to tie it at 1-1.

But that was the only run Kernels starter C.J. Culpepper allowed all night. Culpepper spun 5.2 innings on the mound for the Kernels in his seventh Cedar Rapids s, allowing just three hits while notching four strikeouts.

With Culpepper dominating on the mound, Kyler Fedko lifted the Kernels ahead. To lead off the top of the third inning, Fedko crushed a home run over the wall in left to put Cedar Rapids back on top 2-1. The next batter Noah Miller then walked and came sprinting home on an Emmanuel Rodriguez RBI triple that doubled the Kernels' lead to 3-1.

That stayed the tally until the bottom of the seventh inning. With one out, Fedko walked, and Miller doubled to put runners on second and third. After a strikeout, Ross picked up his second and third RBIs of the night with the Kernels' third triple of the evening scoring Fedko and Miller to lift Cedar Rapids to its largest lead at 5-1.

In the top of the eighth inning, Wisconsin started to rally back. After two quick outs, Luis Lara ripped a double and came home to score two batters later on a Brock Wilken RBI single.

In the top of the ninth inning, trailing 5-2, Hendry Mendez and Darrien Miller notched back-to-back doubles to make it a 5-3 game. After a walk, Jhermy Vargas cashed in with an RBI single to make it 5-4, then still with no outs and double play ball scored the game's tying run to match the scores at 5-5 after eight and a half innings.

With the Timber Rattlers scoring the last four runs, Emmanuel Rodriguez took a one-out walk to give the Kernels some life in the bottom of the ninth inning. After a flyout, Rodriguez stayed on first base with two outs for Jorel Ortega, who cranked a ball off the wall in left field that scored Rodriguez all the way from first base for the Kernels' sixth walk-off win of the season, 6-5 over Wisconsin.

The victory clinches the Kernels' sixth straight home series win, as Cedar Rapids (70-43) wins its third straight game over Wisconsin (48-63). The final game of the six-game series is set for Sunday at 1:05, with C.J. Culpepper on the mound for the Kernels opposite Edwin Jimenez.

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Midwest League Stories from August 19, 2023


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