Castro Shines, Kernels Top Cubs 5-2

Cedar Rapids, IA - Cedar Rapids starter Ricky Castro posted his best start with the Kernels, allowing just one run across six innings on work en route to his first high-A win, 5-2, over South Bend Wednesday evening.

After a win in game one of the series on Tuesday, South Bend again got on the board first in the top of the first inning. With one out, Andy Garriola walked, and two batters later, he came home to score from first base on a Christian Hernandez RBI double to lift the Cubs ahead 1-0.

But that was the only run scored off of Kernels starter Ricky Castro. In his third high-A start, Castro went six strong innings, allowing one run on four hits with eight strikeouts on his way to his first Cedar Rapids win.

With Castro settling in, the Kernels tied it in the bottom half of the first. With one out, Gabriel Gonzalez singled, and a batter later, he scored from first on a Rubel Cespedes RBI double to even the game at 1-1.

In the second, the Kernels took the lead they would never lose. A pair of singles by Nick Lucky and Misael Urbina put runners on the corners, and a wild pitch scored Lucky to put Cedar Rapids ahead 2-1. After the next batter, Kyle Hess walked, and Walker Jenkins reached on a single to load the bases; a Gonzalez bases-full walk upped the Kernels' lead to 3-1.

In the fourth, Cedar Rapids added on. Back-to-back walks by Urbina and Hess put a pair on, and after a fielder’s choice moved Urbina to third, he scored on a Gonzalez RBI base hit to lift the Kernels ahead 4-1.

That stayed the score until the top of the eighth. With one out in the frame, Garriola crushed his second home run in as many nights to cut the Cubs deficit down to 4-2.

But in the bottom half of the frame, Cedar Rapids answered right back. Nate Baez opened the inning with a double, and after a Lucky single moved him to third, he scored on a double play to put the Kernels ahead 5-2, the score which would be the final.

The win snaps Cedar Rapids' six-game home losing streak and improves the Kernels to 59-49 on the year and 22-22 in the second half. Game three of the six-game series is scheduled for Thursday at 6:35, with Tanner Hall on the mound opposite Will Sanders.