Kernels overpower Nuts, 9-3

LANSING, Mich. – Lawrence Butler and Austin Beck homered, but the Cedar Rapids Kernels (33-18) answered with four home runs of their own in a 9-3 win over the Lansing Lugnuts (19-32) on Sunday afternoon at Jackson® Field™.

The Lugnuts were held to three hits in the game – a Beck single followed by a Butler homer in the second inning, and Beck’s own roundtripper in the fourth, all off of Cedar Rapids starter Aaron Rozek.

Kernels reliever Sean Mooney struck out ten over the next four innings, allowing only one walk, before Bradley Hanner tossed a perfect ninth to wrap up Cedar Rapids’ third straight win in the series. The Kernels won four of six games in Lansing.

Lugnuts starter Shohei Tomioka lasted 3 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits, including a solo home run by Will Holland in the fourth that broke a 2-2 tie.

After Beck’s homer retied the score at 3-3, Christian Encarnacion-Strand slugged his tenth home run of the year leading off the fifth inning against Joe DeMers to give the Kernels the lead for good.

Kennie Taylor added a two-run homer in the eighth and Aaron Sabato a two-run homer in the ninth off Brock Whittlesey to wrap up the scoring.

In the loss, Lansing southpaw Kumar Nambiar tied Beloit’s Sean Reynolds for the Midwest League lead with his 18th relief appearance of the season, pitching 2 1/3 perfect innings with four strikeouts from the sixth into the eighth innings.

After a day off Monday, the Lugnuts travel for a six-game series at West Michigan on Tuesday. The Lugnuts’ next homestand begins Tuesday, June 14, opening a 12-game, 13-day stretch in Lansing against Fort Wayne and Beloit.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

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