Cronin Caps Comeback in 7-6 Walk-Off Win

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - Joe Cronin's two-run single in the bottom of the ninth finished a four-run rally and secured a 7-6 come-from-behind, walk-off win for the Cedar Rapids Kernels against the Quad Cities River Bandits at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Sunday's triumph marked Cedar Rapids' biggest comeback victory of the season and its third straight win overall.
The Kernels (23-26, 62-57) faced a 6-3 deficit in the final frame before rallying for the 7-6 victory. Back-to-back singles by Jimmy Kerrigan and Lewin Diaz against Nathan Thompson put runners at the corners. Salvador Montano relieved Thompson but loaded the bases with a walk to Caleb Hamilton. Shane Carrier singled to drive in Kerrigan, and Trey Cabbage walked to force in Diaz. On the next pitch, Cronin hit a single and plated Hamilton and pinch-runner Christian Cavaness to end the game.

A pair of homers in the third inning had pushed Quad Cities (31-18, 68-49) to the 6-3 lead that it held until the bottom of the ninth. Batting with two outs and the bases loaded, Chas McCormick launched a grand slam to left field for his first professional home run. Luis Payano followed with a solo shot to give the River Bandits back-to-back home runs.
Prior to Quad Cities' third-inning outburst, both sides scored in the opening stanza. Troy Sieber lifted an opposite-field homer to left field for an early 1-0 River Bandits advantage. During the bottom of the first inning, Aaron Whitefield slugged a two-run round-tripper to left field, and Carrier also delivered an RBI double that brought in Diaz.
Kernels relievers Evan Sanders and Patrick McGuff each pitched three shutout innings, and McGuff earned the win to send his record to 2-2. Sanders received help in the fourth from Carrier, who caught a fly ball from Daz Cameron and fired a perfect throw on the fly to home plate to keep Ray Henderson from scoring.
Thompson was credited with a hold in his River Bandits debut, but Montano (5-3) suffered the loss and his first blown save of the season. Montano allowed multiple inherited runners to score for the first time as a River Bandit and was also tagged for two runs of his own.
Coming up, the Kernels visit the Burlington Bees for a four-game road series. Monday's series opener is slated for 6:30 p.m. with right-handers Tyler Beardsley (3-6, 5.63) and Andrew Vinson (7-9, 4.90) starting for Cedar Rapids and Burlington, respectively. Listen to the contest with Chris Kleinhans-Schulz on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com and www.kernels.com.
Cedar Rapids' next homestand starts Friday, August 18 and continues through Monday, August 21. Fans can purchase 2017 Kernels regular season and playoff tickets by visiting www.kernels.com, going to the Kernels Ticket Office, or calling (319) 896-7560. The Kernels Ticket Office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. On Sundays when the Kernels have a home game, the Kernels Ticket Office will open at 11:00 a.m.