Big Hits by Cespedes and Shuffield Lead Kernels Past Loons 5-2

A Rubel Cespedes two-run home run put the Kernels on the board, and a Dalton Shuffield two-run single put the game away as Cedar Rapids grabbed a series-opening win 5-2 over Great Lakes Tuesday night.

After Great Lakes starter Chris Campos retired the first nine batters he faced Tuesday night, Cedar Rapids got in the hit column and in the run column for the first time in the top of the fourth inning. To begin the frame, Jay Harry reached on a leadoff double, and two batters later, Rubel Cespedes put the Kernels on top 2-0 with his seventh home run of the season.

In the bottom of the fourth, Great Lakes answered. With one out in the inning, Jake Gelof smashed a solo home run to cut the Kernels' lead in half at 2-1.

That was the score when the Kernels blew it open in the sixth inning. Walks by Rayne Doncon and Jose Salas with an Agustin Ruiz single sandwiched in between loaded the bases with no one out. After a strikeout for the first out of the inning, Dalton Shuffield ripped a single into right field that scored a pair of runs and then got behind the right fielder Yunior Garcia to bring home a third to clear the bases and put the Kernels ahead 5-1.

In the bottom of the inning, the Loons responded with a solo home run again. With one out, Chris Newell belted his league-high 16th home run of the season to draw Great Lakes closer at 5-2.

But that would be the closest the Loons got. Kernels starter John Klein got the win, allowing just two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts compared to just one walk across 5.1 innings. Behind him, Jordan Carr pitched 1.2 scoreless frames, and Gabriel Yanez collected the final six outs in a scoreless six-out save to lock down the Cedar Rapids 5-2 win.

The victory is the Kernels' first in June and improves Cedar Rapids' record to 31-20 on the season. Game two of the series with Great Lakes is set for tomorrow at 6:05, with Christian MacLeod on the mound opposite Jackson Ferris.