Camargo, Kernels Crush Cubs

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Jair Camargo hit two home runs Saturday and helped the Cedar Rapids Kernels earn a 10-2 win against the South Bend Cubs in front of a season-high crowd of 3,451 fans at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Kernels (21-20) plated nine unanswered runs to finish their fourth consecutive victory.

Camargo’s second multi-homer game of the season got underway in the second inning. He lifted the first pitch of the inning over the wall in right field and put Cedar Rapids in front, 1-0.

The Cubs (18-22) tallied runs in each of the next two frames to swing ahead by a 2-1 margin. Tyler Durna evened the contest with his third-inning RBI double. In the fourth, Delvin Zinn recorded a tie-breaking sacrifice fly.

Cedar Rapids claimed the lead for good within a five-run bottom of the sixth. Gabriel Maciel collected a one-out triple before Spencer Steer was hit by a pitch. Seth Gray followed with a game-tying single. Wander Javier’s two-run single came next, and Camargo belted a two-run round-tripper to right-center field that stretched the lead to 6-2.

Steer pushed the Kernels to a 7-2 advantage during the seventh. He drove a solo shot to left field for his team-high 10th clout of the season.

The Kernels ended with a 10-2 edge after scoring three runs in the eighth inning. Maciel delivered a two-run single, and Max Smith scored due to an error on a potential inning-ending double play for the final tally.

Tyler Palm (1-4) was nearly perfect in 2.1 innings of scoreless and hitless relief and notched his first victory. Ryan Jensen (2-4) gave up a career-high six runs over a personal-best 5.1 innings pitched within a losing decision.

Sunday’s series finale for Cedar Rapids and South Bend is scheduled for 2:05 p.m., and Kernels right-hander Tyler Beck (1-0, 2.57) is expected to square off with Cubs right-hander Bradford Deppermann (0-1, 3.86). Play-by-play coverage with Chris Kleinhans-Schulz can be found on www.kernels.com and MiLB.TV.

Kids Eat Free Sunday, presented by Great Clips and Z102.9, offers all kids aged 12 and under the opportunity to get a voucher for a free hot dog, small popcorn, and either a 12 oz. soda or water. Sunday’s activities also include Baseball Bingo sponsored by the Ox Yoke Inn, and the 2021 Nick Adenhart Memorial Scholarship presentation will occur prior to the game.

Fans can purchase tickets for all Cedar Rapids Kernels home games by visiting www.kernels.com, going to the Kernels Ticket Office, or calling (319) 896-7560. The Kernels Ticket Office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. On Sundays when the Kernels have a home game, the Kernels Ticket Office will open at 11:00 a.m.