Doncon’s Walk-Off Home Run Lifts Kernels Past Captains 4-2

Cedar Rapids, IA - With one out and one on in the bottom of the ninth inning, Rayne Doncon crushed his first high-A home run to walk off Lake County and give the Kernels their first win in the series, 4-2.

After scoring first in the first two games of the set, Lake County again struck first on Thursday. Back-to-back singles to begin the top of the second gave the Captains a pair of base runners, and two batters later, Johnny Tincher put Lake County on the board first with a sac fly to make it 1-0.

In the bottom of the second, the Kernels answered right back. Misael Urbina doubled to begin the inning, then after a Doncon walk, Urbina scored on a Jose Salas double to even the game at 1-1.

That stayed the score until the top of the seventh. Christian MacLeod posted his longest start of the season on the mound, allowing just one run across four innings. Behind him, the Kernels bullpen of Jordan Carr (3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 K), Kyle Bischoff (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R) and Ricardo Velez (W, 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K) combined to allow just one run in the final five innings in the win.

Lake County regained the lead in the top of the seventh. Tincher walked to begin the inning, and after a single moved him to second, he scored on a Nate Furman RBI single to put the Captains back on top 2-1.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Kernels rallied to tie it. With one out, Kyle Hess dropped down a bunt single to record his first Kernels hit. After a groundout moved him to second, he scored to tie the game on a Ricardo Olivar RBI single.

Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Urbina took a one-out walk, and the next batter, Doncon, crushed a two-run homer over the wall in left, his first as a Kernel, to lift Cedar Rapids to a 4-2 walk-off win.

The win is the first in the series over Lake County and improves Cedar Rapids to 29-18 on the season. Game four of the series is set for tomorrow at 6:35, with Darren Bowen on the mound for the Kernels opposite Matt Wilkinson.