Kernels Score Three Times in the Eighth, Top Beloit 8-6

Cedar Rapids, IA - RBI hits from Payton Eeles and Jose Salas broke a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning and gave the Kernels the lead they would never lose in an 8-6 win over Beloit Wednesday afternoon.

After scoring first in the loss on Tuesday, the Kernels again struck first on Wednesday. After an error put Jay Harry on base in the second, Misael Urbina replaced him on first with a fielder’s choice. With two outs in the inning, Urbina scored all the way from first on a Jose Salas double to lift Cedar Rapids on top 1-0.

In the third, Rayne Doncon doubled with two outs in front of Kevin Maitan, who doubled the Kernels lead to 2-0 with an RBI single.

In the top of the fourth, Beloit grabbed its first lead of the day. With one out, Josh Zamora doubled and came home to score one batter later on a Carlos Santiago RBI single. Two batters later, Santiago scored on a Cameron Barstad RBI double to tie the game at 2-2, and after a single moved Barstad to third, he scored on a wild pitch to put the Sky Carp ahead 3-2.

In the top of the sixth inning, Zamora blasted a solo home run to extend the Sky Carp lead to 4-2.

Down by two, the Kernels re-took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. A walk and a base hit put a pair of runners on with two outs. The next batter, Kyle Hess, ripped a triple down the right field line, scoring both runners before coming home to score himself on an errant throw to put Cedar Rapids ahead 5-4.

Beloit again had the answer in the top of the seventh. Jake DeLeo singled to begin the inning, and after he moved to second on a passed ball and to third on a fly out, he scored to tie the game at 5-5 on an Orsis Johnson sacrifice fly.

That stayed the score until the bottom of the eighth inning. A walk, hit-by-pitch and bunt put runners on second and third with one out for Salas, who lifted the Kernels back ahead with an RBI double. With runners on second and third, Payton Eeles gave the Kernels some insurance, scoring both with a two-run single to give Cedar Rapids its largest lead of the game at 8-5.

Beloit scored a run in the top of the ninth, but it was too little too late in the Cedar Rapids 8-6 win.

The win snaps the Beloit nine-game winning streak and improves Cedar Rapids to 3-2 in the second half and 40-29 overall. Game three of the six-game series is set for Thursday at 6:35 with Jeremy Lee on the mound opposite Noble Meyer.