Cedar Rapids Tops Peoria 4-3 in Series Finale, Clinches Split of the Set

Peoria, IL - A Kyle Hess game-tying single and a Misael Urbina go-ahead sacrifice fly lifted Cedar Rapids to a 4-3 series finale win over Peoria Sunday afternoon.

For the second straight game in the set, the Kernels jumped on the board first. On the first pitch of the game, Walker Jenkins ripped a wall-ball triple, and a batter later, he came home to score on a Poncho Ruiz sacrifice fly to lift Cedar Rapids on top 1-0.

In the third, the Kernels doubled their lead. Jose Salas led off the inning with a double, and after a hit-by-pitch and a walk, the bases were loaded with no one out. After a pair of strikeouts, Rubel Cesped put the Kernels on top 2-0 with an RBI single.

But the lead did not last long. In the bottom of the third, after Alex Iadisernia reached on a walk, he came all the way around to score from first on a Tre Richardson RBI triple. The next batter, Chase Davis, then tied the game at 2-2 with an RBI base hit. After a single moved him up to second, Johnfrank Salazar lifted the Chiefs on top 3-2 with an RBI base hit.

But that would be the extent of the Chiefs’ scoring on the afternoon. The Cedar Rapids bullpen did not allow an earned run for the fourth straight game in the series. Mike Paredes (1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, 0 BB), Jordan Carr (W, 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K, 0 BB), Gabriel Yanez (1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R) and Nolan Santos (SV, 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R) combined to not allow a run the rest of the way.

With the Chiefs being held off the scoreboard, Cedar Rapids tied the game in the fourth. After back-to-back singles from Misael Urbina and Nick Lucky opened the inning, Kyle Hess tied it at 3-3 with an RBI hit.

That stayed the score until the top of the eighth. A Kevin Maitan walk opened the inning, and after he moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a Nate Baez single, he scored on an Urbina sacrifice fly to lift the Kernels ahead 4-3, the score that would be the final Sunday afternoon.

The win ends the Kernels' trip to Peoria with a split of the series and improves Cedar Rapids to 58-48 on the year and 21-21 in the second half. The Kernels return home Tuesday to open a six-game series with South Bend at 6:35.