Kernels Take Down Timber Rattlers 5-3, Clinch 11th Consecutive Over .500 Season

Cedar Rapids, IA - Cedar Rapids took a 5-0 lead it would never lose Thursday night as the Kernels topped Wisconsin 5-3, clinching a better than .500 record on the year for the 11th straight season.

After Cedar Rapids opened a 3-0 lead in the win on Wednesday, the Kernels again opened an early lead on Thursday. In the bottom of the third, Kaelen Culpepper led off the inning with a single, and batters later, Rixon Wingrove opened the scoring with a two-run home run to lift CR on top 2-0.

In the fourth, the Kernels continued to grow the lead. With two outs in the frame, Walker Jenkins ripped a double, and after a balk moved him to third, he scored on an error to up the Cedar Rapids edge to 3-0.

An inning later, Misael Urbina put the game away. With one out, Nate Baez reached on a single, and two batters later, Urbina belted a two-run home run to set Cedar Rapids on top 5-0.

With the Kernels offense putting runs on the board, Spencer Bengard was holding things down on the mound. In his first high-A start, Bengard continued his strong string of pitching, not allowing a run across four innings of work.

With Bengard out of the game, the Timber Rattlers got on the board in the sixth inning. With one out in the frame, Jadher Areinamo ripped a solo home run to left to cut the Kernels’ lead down to 5-1.

In the eighth, an Eduardo Garcia sacrifice fly made it 5-2, and an inning later, Ramon Rodriguez cut it to a two-run game at 5-3 with a solo home run, but it was too little too late as the Kernels clinched their second straight win in the series, 5-3.

The win improves the Kernels to 29-34 in the second half and 66-61 on the season, ensuring Cedar Rapids will finish 2024 over .500. Game four of the final series of the year is set for Friday at 6:35 with Darren Bowen on the mound, opposite Will Rudy.