Pitching dominates in 3-1 defeat

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Christian Fernandez, Brady Basso and Stevie Emanuels combined to set down 17 consecutive batters, but the Lansing Lugnuts (13-22, 44-56) fell, 3-1, to the Cedar Rapids Kernels (23-12, 63-38) on Saturday night at Rise 2 Greatness Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Kernels have won the first five games of the series as well as their last ten consecutive home games.

In the first inning, pinch-hitter Mikey Perez, replacing an injured Jorel Ortega following a foul off the foot, blooped a two-out RBI single off Lansing starter Jacob Watters.

In the second inning, Watters departed due to restricted pitch count after allowing a single and a pair of pop-ups, and Carson McCusker greeted new reliever Fernandez with a two-run homer to left for a 3-0 Cedar Rapids lead.

In the third inning, Emmanuel Rodriguez walked but was caught stealing second… and that was all for Cedar Rapids’ base runners on this night.

Fernandez struck out Kala’I Rosario and retired Perez on a foulout, then handed the ball to Basso, who struck out four in firing four perfect innings, succeeded by Emanuels, who whiffed two in a perfect eighth.

But the Lugnuts’ offense was limited to a sole tally, a T.J. Schofield-Sam RBI groundout in the third inning off Cedar Rapids starter Andrew Morris.

Morris struck out nine batters in six innings, allowing five hits while walking none. Jordan Carr then blanked Lansing in the seventh and eighth innings before Mike Paredes worked around a two-out walk in a scoreless ninth.

The Nuts’ most promising threat occurred in the fourth. Joshwan Wright, who finished 2-for-4, led off with a single to right off Morris. Danny Bautista, Jr. followed with a double to left-center, moving Wright to third and increasing his own hitting streak to 12 games and his on-base streak to 17 games.

But Morris struck out Brennan Milone looking (with Milone subsequently ejected from the dugout for his thoughts on the strike zone), fanned Colby Thomas swinging and finished off Clark Elliott on a groundout to leave the pair of Lugnuts in scoring position.

One game remains in the Lugnuts’ 12-game road trip to the Hawkeye State, with right-hander Joelvis Del Rosario (5.66 ERA) facing Kernels right-hander Cory Lewis (2.14 ERA) at 1:05 p.m. local / 2:05 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.

The Nuts’ next home game is on August 8, beginning a two-week homestand against Fort Wayne and Great Lakes. Tickets are available via lansinglugnuts.com or by calling (517) 485-4500 during office hours.

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