Hamilton, Rortvedt Blast Kernels to Victory

DAVENPORT, IOWA - Caleb Hamilton and Ben Rortvedt hit back-to-back home runs for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in a 6-2 win Sunday against the Quad Cities River Bandits at Modern Woodmen Park. The consecutive homers were the first by Cedar Rapids since Hamilton and Jaylin Davis recorded back-to-back blasts June 10 in a 5-3 victory over the Burlington Bees. Sunday's victory closed this four-game series at a 2-2 split.
Hamilton and Rortvedt homered to kick off a fourth-inning rally that pushed Cedar Rapids (2-2, 41-33) to a 4-0 edge. Hamilton led off with his seventh Kernels home run, and Rortvedt followed with his second career clout. Later in the inning, Gorge Munoz drove in Hank Morrison during a sacrifice double play that added to the lead.

Amaurys Minier initially put the Kernels in front during the top of the first inning. After a two-out single by Travis Blankenhorn, Minier double to left field and drove in Blankenhorn for the game's first run.
The River Bandits (2-2, 39-33) trimmed their deficit to 4-1 in the fifth. Bryan De La Cruz hit a leadoff single and scored from first base on an RBI double by Raymond Henderson.
Cedar Rapids tallied two runs in the seventh inning and increased their lead to 6-1. Rortvedt doubled to bring in Hamilton, and Morrison followed with an RBI single that plated Rortvedt.
Quad Cities rallied during the eighth but only scored one run. Walks loaded the bases, and a two-out error allowed Tyler Wolfe to score and cut Cedar Rapids' lead to 6-2. De La Cruz came up as the potential game-tying run, but he flied out to finish the frame. A scoreless ninth inning followed at the end of the contest.
Clark Beeker (7-2) allowed one run over 5.2 innings pitched and secured his team-high-tying seventh win of the year. Ronel Blanco (2-2) yielded four runs and a career-high six walks in 4.2 innings. Max Cordy claimed his second hold after giving up just one unearned run over 2.1 innings pitched.
Up next, Cedar Rapids hosts a four-game homestand with a visit from the Burlington Bees. Monday's opener is set for 6:35 p.m. with Kernels right-hander Tyler Wells (4-1, 1.89) scheduled to face Bees right-hander Andrew Vinson (4-6, 5.84). Tune in to the contest on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com, www.kernels.com, and MiLB.TV.
The homestand opener is a Mark Down Monday at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Regular hot dogs are only $1.50 each, and small popcorn, ice cream sandwiches, and chips cost just $1.00 apiece.
Fans can purchase tickets for all 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 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.