Jensen’s Fireworks Not Enough in Loss to Kernels

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – For the fourth-straight season, the River Bandits dropped a Fourth of July contest to the Cedar Rapids Kernels, falling 8-5 on Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

While Quad Cities’ bats failed to score in the first half of the ballgame and began the night 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, Cedar Rapids took advantage of a second-inning Kevin Maitan triple and took a 1-0 lead against Hunter Owen on Jay Harry’s RBI-groundout.

Ricardo Olivar then tripled in a run in the third and with RBI-singles from Rayne Doncon and Gabriel Gonzalez, helped extend the Kernels’ advantage to 4-0.

Urbina (RBI-single) and Gonzalez (RBI-double) both struck again in the fourth and fifth respectively, making it 6-0 Kernels, and helped knock Owen from his start after just 3.2 innings, which tied for the southpaw’s shortest start of the season.

Kernels’ starter Ty Langenberg kept the Bandits scoreless and to just one hit through his first 5.0 innings, but after a Jared Dickey double and a Carson Roccaforte walk—which the outfielder drew on 14 pitches—an error on Nate Baez would allow both runners to score and trim Quad Cities’ deficit to 6-2.

Despite allowing a run in the bottom of the fifth, Bandits’ reliever Chazz Martinez held the Kernels out of the run for the first time since the game’s opening frame with a clean sixth, before Carter Jensen launched a three-run homer off AJ Labas in the seventh to bring Quad Cities within one, 6-5.

The shrunken deficit wouldn’t last long though, as Agustin Ruiz answered the blast with a rocket of his own in the bottom of the seventh, a two-run homer off Chase Wallace.

Labas would bounce back with a scoreless eighth, before Kyle Bischoff struck out Trevor Werner, who represented the game-tying run, in the ninth for his fourth save of the season.

Two unearned runs would be the only blemish on the night for Langenberg (3-0), who earned the win after 5.2 innings, while Owen (6-4) was saddled with the loss, allowing five runs on six hits, one walk, and three strikeouts.

Quad Cities will send the reigning Midwest League Pitcher of the Month, Steven Zobac (5-4, 3.49), to the hill on Friday for game two of the three-game series with the Kernels, while Cedar Rapids counters with John Klein (5-2, 4.66). First pitch at Veterans Memorial Stadium is set for 6:35 p.m.